Sufi bridge to the soul


Inspiration for Norman Foster's design for the supporting pillars of the Millau viaduct in France, the world's highest bridge, came from the human form with arms outstretched. Genius transcends cultures and my photograph below shows how his solution gives the illusion of seven Sufi dervishes of the Mevlana order whirling in the French countryside. Reading on my recent medically interrupted road trip, which crossed the Millau viaduct, included Robert Irwin's newly published Memoirs of a Dervish. I will doubtless be returning to this book in a future post; so just let me say for the moment that if the paths here resonate with you, it is not to be missed. Rumi Bridge to the Soul is the title of a volume of Rumi's verse translated by Coleman Barks. Soundtrack for this post is Songs of Rebirth, Homage to Rumi sung by Ali Reza Ghorban, the songs that defied the mullahs.


With thanks to Jean-Charles at Les Caselles at Millau. Photo credits are actually to my wife and they are (c) On An Overgrown Path 2011. I am mobile posting from a recently purchased Dell Inspiron Mini 10 netbook, which is a very sweet piece of kit. Report broken links, missing images and errors to - overgrownpath at hotmail dot co dot uk

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