About Omar Khayyam
Omar Khayyam was a Persian poet, mathematician, and astronomer in the 11th century. He was born close to Nishapur, the capital of Persia in 1040, along the Khorasan river. He died in 1123.
In the field of astronomy Khayyam became famous for introducing the Jalali calendar, which is still considered more accurate than the common Gregory. He also contributed to the natural sciences by solving cubic equations.
In the 19th century, his collection of poems called “Rubaiyat” was translated into English by Edward FitzGerald. Since then, Khayyam has been known as a great poet throughout the world.
“Rubaiyat” was a collection of poems that celebrated common pleasures without strong religious influences. It acquired many fans in Europe in the 19th century.
The word “Rubaiyat” itself means “quatrain” in the Persian language. It was at first used to mean a Persian quatrain, but later came to be used in Europe and Japan to refer to the poetical works of Khayyam.