HTML clipboardThe Islamic World to 1600
Born Ghiyath
al-Din Abul Fatah Umar Ibn Ibrahim al-Khayyam in 1044 in Nishapur, a Persian
city, Omar Khayyam was a well-known mathematician, astronomer, philosopher, and
poet. He spent most of his life in Persian intellectual centres such as
Samarkand and Bukhara, and enjoyed the favour of the Seljuk sultans who ruled
the region.
Khayyam's
best-known scientific contributions were in algebra and astronomy. His
classification of algebraic equations was fundamental to the advancement of
algebra as a science, for example, just as his work on the theory of parallel
lines was important in geometry. In astronomy, Khayyam's greatest legacy is a
remarkably accurate solar calendar, which he developed when the Seljuk sultan,
Malik-Shah Jalal al-Din, required a new schedule for revenue collection.
Khayyam's calendar, called Al-Tarikh-al-Jalali after the sultan, was even more
accurate than the Gregorian calendar presently used in most of the world: the
Jalali calendar had an error of one day in 3770 years, while the Gregorian had
an error of one day in 3330 years. Khayyam measured the length of one year as
365.24219858156 days, which is remarkably accurate. It has since been discovered
that the number changes in the 6th decimal place over a person's lifetime. For
comparison of Khayyam's accuracy, the length of one year at the end of the 19th
century was 365.242196 days, and today it is 365.242190. Although the calendar
project was cancelled upon Malik-Shah's death in 1092, the Jalali calendar has
survived and is still used in parts of Iran and Afghanistan today.
Khayyam is also
a well-known poet. This is the profession by which he is best-known in the West,
often at the expense of his scientific achievements. His fame as a poet in the
West has only existed since 1839, however, when Edward Fitzgerald published an
English translation of Khayyam's Rubaiyat ("Quatrains"). It has since become a
classic of world literature, and is largely responsible for influencing European
ideas about Persian poetry and literature. Because he was known as a scientist
in his own time, and his poetry did not surface until 200 years after his death,
some doubt whether Khayyam indeed wrote the Rubaiyat. After careful analysis,
however, most scholars now agree that he is the author, revealing a
philosophical side to Khayyam that few of his contemporaries knew.
Khayyam's legacy
remains largely in science, however, with his work in geometry so far ahead of
its time that it was not used again until Ren� Descartes built upon Khayyam's
theories in 17th century France.
 Omar Khayyam Courtesy of Personalities Nobel |
Born Ghiyath
al-Din Abul Fatah Umar Ibn Ibrahim al-Khayyam in 1044 in Nishapur, a Persian
city, Omar Khayyam was a well-known mathematician, astronomer, philosopher, and
poet. He spent most of his life in Persian intellectual centres such as
Samarkand and Bukhara, and enjoyed the favour of the Seljuk sultans who ruled
the region.
Khayyam's
best-known scientific contributions were in algebra and astronomy. His
classification of algebraic equations was fundamental to the advancement of
algebra as a science, for example, just as his work on the theory of parallel
lines was important in geometry. In astronomy, Khayyam's greatest legacy is a
remarkably accurate solar calendar, which he developed when the Seljuk sultan,
Malik-Shah Jalal al-Din, required a new schedule for revenue collection.
Khayyam's calendar, called Al-Tarikh-al-Jalali after the sultan, was even more
accurate than the Gregorian calendar presently used in most of the world: the
Jalali calendar had an error of one day in 3770 years, while the Gregorian had
an error of one day in 3330 years. Khayyam measured the length of one year as
365.24219858156 days, which is remarkably accurate. It has since been discovered
that the number changes in the 6th decimal place over a person's lifetime. For
comparison of Khayyam's accuracy, the length of one year at the end of the 19th
century was 365.242196 days, and today it is 365.242190. Although the calendar
project was cancelled upon Malik-Shah's death in 1092, the Jalali calendar has
survived and is still used in parts of Iran and Afghanistan today.
 A Persian carpet depicting Khayyam's poetry Courtesy of FarsiNet |
Khayyam is also
a well-known poet. This is the profession by which he is best-known in the West,
often at the expense of his scientific achievements. His fame as a poet in the
West has only existed since 1839, however, when Edward Fitzgerald published an
English translation of Khayyam's Rubaiyat ("Quatrains"). It has since become a
classic of world literature, and is largely responsible for influencing European
ideas about Persian poetry and literature. Because he was known as a scientist
in his own time, and his poetry did not surface until 200 years after his death,
some doubt whether Khayyam indeed wrote the Rubaiyat. After careful analysis,
however, most scholars now agree that he is the author, revealing a
philosophical side to Khayyam that few of his contemporaries knew.
Khayyam's legacy
remains largely in science, however, with his work in geometry so far ahead of
its time that it was not used again until Ren� Descartes built upon Khayyam's
theories in 17th century France.
