Khayyam, Music Composer
Music Composer

Khayyam

Born 18 February 1927 · Iran — Died 4 December 1131

Composed the music for the classic Bollywood film 'Umrao Jaan' (1981).

Omar Khayyam (1048–1131) was a Persian poet and polymath, known for his contributions to mathematics, astronomy, philosophy, and Persian literature. He was born in Nishapur, Iran and lived during the Seljuk era, around the time of the First Crusade.

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A detail that
surprised us

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Omar Khayyam’s geometric solution to cubic equations involved intersecting conic sections, a method later credited to Descartes but developed by Khayyam in the 11th century.

The Story

1
In 1048, Omar Khayyam was born in Nishapur, Iran, a key city of the Seljuk Empire, where he later memorized the Quran and studied under prominent scholars like Mawlana Qadi Muhammad and Khawjah Abu’l-Hasan al-Anbari.
2
🌟 Around 1070, Khayyam revolutionized algebra by using geometric methods to solve cubic equations, predating René Descartes' work on the subject by centuries.
3By 1079, he had challenged the foundations of Euclidean geometry in his treatise Risāla fī šarḥ mā aškala min muṣādarāt kitāb Uqlīdis, which introduced what is now called the Khayyam–Saccheri quadrilateral.
4🌞 In 1079, Khayyam helped design the Jalali calendar, a solar calendar with an intricate 33-year intercalation cycle, achieving a precision unmatched by the Gregorian calendar used today.

🏅 Awards & Honours

—
Padma Bhushan

🔍 One thing most people don't know

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In 1859, Edward FitzGerald’s English translation of Khayyam’s rubāʿiyāt popularized Persian quatrains in the West, decades after Khayyam’s death in 1131.

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Through the Years

1 photograph from the archives
Illustration from Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam featuring Khayyam's poetry (1905)
Illustration from Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam featuring Khayyam's poetry (1905)
1905

🗓️ A Life in Moments

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Birth
Birth in Nishapur, Iran
Omar Khayyam was born in Nishapur, a major city of the Seljuk Empire, known for its scholarly environment. His horoscope was recorded by historian Bayhaqi.
1048
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Education
Early studies under Mawlana Qadi Muhammad
Khayyam memorized much of the Quran and studied religious sciences, Arabic grammar, and literature during his youth.
c.1060
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Career
Mathematical innovations on cubic equations
Khayyam developed geometric solutions for cubic polynomials using intersecting conic sections, a method centuries ahead of its European rediscovery.
c.1070
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Career
Contribution to calendar reform
Khayyam helped design the Jalali calendar, implementing a precise solar calendar system with a 33-year intercalation cycle.
c.1079
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Publication
Published treatise on Euclid's axioms
Khayyam authored Risāla fī šarḥ mā aškala min muṣādarāt kitāb Uqlīdis, challenging Euclid's parallel postulate and describing the Khayyam–Saccheri quadrilateral.
c.1080
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Death
Death in Nishapur
Omar Khayyam passed away in his hometown of Nishapur, leaving a polymath legacy spanning poetry, mathematics, and astronomy.
1131
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Publication
Western popularization of rubāʿiyāt
Edward FitzGerald’s English translation of Khayyam’s quatrains brought his poetry to the anglophone world, sparking Orientalist interest.
1859
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🗝️Discoveries

Swipe to uncover hidden stories
01 / 06
🏆ACHIEVEMENT

Khayyam’s Jalali calendar, designed in 1079, features a 33-year intercalation cycle that surpasses the accuracy of the Gregorian calendar introduced 400 years later.

02 / 06
🌍HISTORICAL IMPACT

The Khayyam–Saccheri quadrilateral, named partly after Khayyam, was first described in his 11th-century work critiquing Euclid’s parallel postulate.

03 / 06
🏆ACHIEVEMENT

Khayyam’s method for solving cubic equations used the intersection of conic sections, a geometric approach not common until the 17th century in Europe.

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🌱 What changed because of them

Khayyam’s work on the Jalali calendar laid the groundwork for the Persian calendar still used today, impacting timekeeping in Iran for nearly a millennium. His treatise on Euclid’s parallel postulate influenced later developments in non-Euclidean geometry. Additionally, the popularization of his rubāʿiyāt by Edward FitzGerald introduced Persian poetic thought to Western literature, bridging cultural understandings across continents.

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