Attar of Nishapur in Persia, much of medicine and drugs were based on herbs. Therefore, by profession he was similar to a modern-day town doctor and pharmacist. Rose oil means attar. Several musical artists have albums or songs which share the name of his most famous work, "Conference of the Birds", as well as the themes of enlightenment contained therein. Notably, jazz bassist David Holland's album, which was written as a metaphor for his own enlightenment, and Om's Conference of the Birds, which deals with extremely esoteric themes often connected with metaphors of flight, inward vision, destruction of self, and oneness with the
Mohammed el-Attar was supposed to travel to Israel. When arrested, el-Attar was in shock about the amount of information the Egyptian authorities had compiled and felt it was best to confess. Later, el-Attar claimed he confessed only after days of torture. He said he was forced to drink his own urine, was given electric shocks, and that his family in Egypt was threatened. During his trial, most of the evidence came from his confession, which he signed after spending at least three weeks incommunicado, with no consular assistance and no lawyer. Mohammed el-Attar Mohammed Essam Ghoneim el-Attar (born 1970 in Cairo, Egypt)