Khayyam Day · Ruz-e Khayyam

/xæj.ˈjɒːm/

Culture of origin: Iranian · Cultural

Holiday sources: Iran

Omar Khayyam (1048–1131) of Nishapur was a mathematician, astronomer and poet. Commissioned by Sultan Malik-Shah, he led the astronomers at Isfahan who reformed the Persian calendar, fixing the start of the year at the spring equinox; their Jalali calendar is the basis of the Persian calendar still in use. The quatrains attributed to him won worldwide fame through Edward FitzGerald's 1859 translation. Scholars date his birth to 18 May 1048, around 28 Ordibehesht.