Ghiyāth al-Dīn Abū al-Fatḥ ʿUmar ibn Ibrāhīm al-Nīsābūrī al-Khayyāmī in short Omar Khayyam was born in 1048 in Khorasan. He was well known Persian mathematician, astronomer, and poet. English get to know about Omar Khayam through the translation of his work. His father was a tentmaker and Khayyam means tentmaker so he might have got this name from the profession of his father. He received standard of education in science and philosophy before his journey to Samarkand and there he completed the algebra treatise, Risālah fiʾl-barāhīn ʿalā masāʾil al-jabr waʾl-muqābalah (“Treatise on Demonstration of Problems of Algebra”). In his book, he had given a systematic discussion for the solution of cubic equations by means of intersecting conic sections.
His outstanding performance inspires the Seljuq Sultan Malik Shah who invited him to Esfahan to undertake the astronomical observations necessary for the reform of the calendar. He formulated a new calendar which was named the Jalali calendar. That calendar was more accurate than the present Gregorian calendar and was adopted by Malik Shah. This man remained the master of all his fields throughout his life.
He moved to Mecca and from there he came back to his native town and there he taught and served the court as an astrologer. He collected (roba iyat) or Quatrains which he introduced to the world in a format. English world was not aware of his skill till FitzGerald introduced him through his book The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám. After that, his quatrains have been translated into many important languages and it has highlighted Persian poetry to the west. Unfortunately, his poetry was not preserved by his contemporaries until two centuries. His quatrains are complete in forms and meaning.
The worldly asset passed away in 1131.
