The Iranian Muslim mathematician, astronomer, and poet, Omar Khayyam

Compiled by: Syed Ali Shahbaz
On 23rd of the Islamic month of Jamadi as-Sani in 1048 AD, the Iranian Muslim mathematician, astronomer, and poet, Omar Khayyam, was born in Nishapour, Khorasan, northeastern Iran. Around 1074 AD, he set up an observatory and led work on compiling astronomical tables. To him goes the credit of reforming the Iranian solar hijri calendar on the basis of the Spring Equinox, which is still in use in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and parts of Central Asia, the Caucasus, Iraq, Anatolia, and the Subcontinent. This calendar is more perfect than the Gregorian Christian calendar that was imposed on Muslim countries by the colonialists after World War 1.
Among Khayyam's works, his book on algebra was until the last century taught as textbook in Iran. In geometry, he reformed the generalities of Euclid and contributed to the theory of parallel lines. His contributions to other fields of science included developing methods for the accurate determination of specific gravity. He is known to English-speaking readers for his "quatrains" or Rubaiyyaat, published in 1859 by Edward Fitzgerald, although in the Islamic world he remains the astronomer and mathematician that he was, rather than a poet, since whatever he composed of poetry were casual expressions during his rare leisure hours after strenuous scientific studies and experiments. He died in 1131 AD at the age of 83 years and was buried in his native Nishapour in the courtyard of the shrine of Imamzadah Mahruq, a descendant of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA)
On 28th of the Iranian month of Ordibehesht, is the day of commemoration of the prominent Iranian Muslim scientist and poet, Omar Khayyam Nishapouri, who was born in the northeastern city of Nishapour in Khorasan in 439 AH. He was an expert on philosophy, mathematics, and astronomy during the Seljuqid era. He wrote both in Arabic and Persian, and to him goes the credit for reforming the solar hijri calendar which begins on the Spring Equinox and is followed to this day in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and parts of Central Asia, the Caucasus, Anatolia, Iraq and the Subcontinent. In the English-speaking world, Khayyam’s fame is because of his rubaiyyat or quatrains, which he composed in Persian during his rare leisure hours after strenuous scientific efforts, and which were translated into English by Fitzgerald.