Omar Khayyam
Omar Khayyam
1048 — 1131
Empire seldjoukide
An 11th-century Persian poet, mathematician, and astronomer, Omar Khayyam is celebrated for his quatrains (the Rubaiyat) and his work in algebra. He reformed the Persian calendar and solved cubic equations using geometric methods.
Famous Quotes
« A loaf of bread, a jug of wine, a book of verses — and thou beside me singing in the wilderness. »
« The eternal secret is known neither to you nor to me. »
Key Facts
- Born around 1048 in Nishapur (present-day Iran), died around 1131
- Wrote the Treatise on Demonstration of Problems of Algebra (around 1070), classifying cubic equations
- Reformed the Persian calendar in 1079 under Sultan Malik-Shah, creating the remarkably accurate Jalali calendar
- Composed the Rubaiyat, a collection of philosophical and poetic quatrains translated worldwide in the 19th century
- Worked on the theory of ratios and anticipated certain concepts of infinitesimal calculus
Works & Achievements
A collection of Persian quatrains meditating on time, death, pleasure, and fate. Translated into English by FitzGerald in 1859, they made Khayyam one of the most widely read poets in the world.
The first systematic work on cubic equations, solved geometrically through the intersection of conic sections. It represents a major milestone in the history of mathematics.
A remarkably precise solar calendar commissioned by Sultan Malik-Shah. Still in use today in Iran and Afghanistan under the name of the Solar Hijri calendar.
A critical analysis of Euclid's fifth postulate (the parallel postulate), anticipating by several centuries the ideas that would lead to the development of non-Euclidean geometries.
A treatise on the origins and significance of the Persian New Year celebration (Nowruz), blending astronomy, history, and political wisdom.
Reflections on balance and the measurement of densities, situated within the tradition of natural sciences inherited from Aristotle and developed by Islamic scholars.
Anecdotes
Omar Khayyam was commissioned by the Seljuk sultan Jalal al-Din Malik-Shah I to reform the Persian calendar. He led a team of astronomers and devised the Jalali calendar in 1079, so precise that it loses only one day every 3,770 years — more accurate than today's Gregorian calendar.
According to a famous anecdote recorded by Nizami Aruzi, Khayyam reportedly made a youthful pact with two friends, Nizam al-Mulk and Hassan ibn Sabbah: whoever succeeded first would help the others. When Nizam became vizier, he granted Khayyam a stipend for his studies and offered Hassan a government post — Hassan went on to become the founder of the Assassins, one of the most feared sects of the medieval world.
Khayyam solved cubic equations (third-degree equations) using geometric methods, specifically the intersection of conic sections. He was the first to produce a systematic classification of them, anticipating European algebraists by several centuries. He himself acknowledged that he did not know how to solve these equations by purely algebraic means.
His Rubaiyat (Persian quatrains) were largely overlooked in the East for centuries, then became a worldwide literary phenomenon thanks to the free translation by English poet Edward FitzGerald in 1859. The translation was a sensation in Europe and America, establishing Khayyam as a towering figure in world poetry.
Primary Sources
"I have shown how to find the sides of the square and the cube [...] by relying on the properties of conic sections, so as to solve all third-degree equations."
"A loaf of bread, a flask of wine, a book of verse, and thou beside me in the wilderness — and wilderness were paradise enow."
"The king must know the stars and the seasons, for it is upon them that the order of the year and the prosperity of the kingdom depend."
"The parallel postulate cannot be proved without admitting something equivalent to it; it must therefore be accepted as a principle."
Key Places
Khayyam's birthplace, one of the most important intellectual and commercial metropolises of the medieval Islamic world. It is here that he was born, studied, and died.
The Seljuk capital where Khayyam worked at the royal observatory under the patronage of Sultan Malik-Shah, carrying out the calculations that led to the reform of the Jalali calendar.
A great city of Central Asia and a major intellectual center where Khayyam spent time deepening his knowledge of mathematics and astronomy.
Capital of the Abbasid Caliphate and a world center of learning in the Middle Ages, where the works that shaped Khayyam's intellectual formation circulated widely.
A city near Khorasan and an important hub in the Persian intellectual tradition, associated with the transmission of Greek and Indian knowledge into the Islamic world.
Gallery
The history of modern painting.
Wikimedia Commons, Public domain — Richard Muther
Indian sculpture and painting, illustrated by typical masterpieces, with an explanation of their motives and ideals
Wikimedia Commons, Public domain — Havell, E. B. (Ernest Binfield), 1861-1934
Josef Holbrooke and his work : with musical blocks in text and portrait frontispiece of Josef Holbrooke
Wikimedia Commons, Public domain — Lowe, George
Shah Tahmasp of Iran. Painting by Sahifa Banu, Mughal, early 17th century (cropped)
Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 — Sahifa Banu
Hokusai, the old man mad with painting, by Edward Fairbrother Strange, 1906 - hokusaioldmanmad00stra
Wikimedia Commons, Public domain — Edward Fairbrother Strange
Omar Khayyam2
Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 — The original uploader was Atilin at French Wikipedia.
Table of Omar Khayyam III (3)
Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 — Ceescamel
The worshipper of the image
Wikimedia Commons, Public domain — Le Gallienne, Richard, 1866-1947
تندیس حکیم عمر خیام
Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 — Sasan77Abdi
Manuel Bernabe y Hernandez historical marker - 2
Wikimedia Commons, CC0 — Judgefloro