Omar Khayyám, originally named Ghiyāth al-Dīn Abū al-Fatḥ ʿUmar ibn Ibrāhīm Nīsābūrī, was born on May 18, 1048, in Nishapur, then the capital of the Seljuk Empire. He was a Persian polymath celebrated for his significant contributions across various fields such as mathematics, astronomy, philosophy, and poetry. Living during the reign of the Seljuk dynasty, his lifetime coincided with the era of the First Crusade.

As a mathematician, Khayyám is widely recognized for his work on the classification and solution of cubic equations, providing geometric solutions through the intersection of conics. In astronomy, he is famed for his calculation of the solar year's duration with remarkable precision. This calculation led to the design of the Jalali calendar, a solar calendar with a 33-year intercalation cycle, which stands as the basis for the Persian calendar still in use nearly a millennium later.

Khayyám is also celebrated for his poetry, primarily known through the translation of his quatrains (rubāʿiyāt) into English by Edward FitzGerald in 1859, titled Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. This work enjoyed great success, particularly in the context of the fin de siècle Orientalism.

Beyond his scientific and poetic achievements, Khayyám also wrote on mechanics, geography, and music, and his philosophical and teaching works, while lesser known, have had a significant impact. He is revered for teaching the philosophy of Ibn Sina for decades in his hometown of Nishapur, where his mausoleum stands today as a masterpiece of Iranian architecture, attracting many visitors each year.