The poet's original name was Abu-Hamed Mohammad-ebne Ibrahim. He used Attar (shortened his full religious name Farideddin Attar Neyshaboori) as his pen name. He was born in 1119 in Kadkan, Khorasan. He married and had children, but details about his life are sketchy, although his poetic legacy has made him a household name in Persian-speaking homes. Untold seekers on the Path for generations-including other great Sufi mystic poets, like Rumi, who succeeded him-have been nourished by his extensive works. Attar was killed during the Mongol invasion of Khorasan in 1221.