The ancient Eastern legend of Simurgh says that there was a time when all the birds of the land gathered for a joyous celebration that never came to fruition because they began quarreling among themselves. They squawked and screeched loudly until they grew weary of the noise. Then, the wisest bird among them, the hoopoe, suggested they halt their squabbles and choose a leader whom they could all follow. The birds agreed and decided to implore Simurgh, the bird of happiness and justice, to assume this leadership role.

The journey to Simurgh's palace was arduous, fraught with dangers that not all the birds could withstand. Only thirty of the hardiest made it, standing before Simurgh. As they looked around, they realized that each one of them, and collectively all of them, constituted the divine bird itself - Simurgh, whose very name signifies "thirty birds".