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Astro*Dictionary by Michael Erlewine

 

 

 

 

1 article for "Khayyam, Omar"

Khayyam, Omar [Astro*Index]

(oh'mar ky-ahm')

(1050?-1123?) Persian astronomer.

Both he and his father were tentmakers by trade. He work became known in English, in 1859, with Edward FitzGerald's translation of the Rubaiyat. A gifted scholar, he was supported initially by the vizier of the Seljuk Sultan, Alp Arslan, and later by the sultan's successor, Malik Shah, during which time the Seljuk Turkish Empire reached its zenith. His writings include a book on algebra and improved astronomical tables. He solved quadratic, but not cubic, equations. In 1074, he reformed the Muslim Calendar making it similar to the Gregorian improvement of 1582.

 

See also:
♦ Moslem Calendar ♦ Gregorian Calendar

 

 

 

 

 

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