- Published: Friday, March 31 2017 22:03
Omar Khayyam is perhaps the best known Persian poet in the west. An important mathematician and astronomer, Khayyam lived in the 11th and 12th centuries and is revered in Iran as something of a renaissance man. One of a long line of Persian and other Islamic scientists, Khayyam’s greatest accomplishments were as a mathematician, particularly his development of a new calendar. Before Khayyam, the solar calendar used for official purposes started over at year one with each change in government. The Islamic lunar calendar – out of sync with both the official solar calendar and the seasons – was often used by the populace. Khayyam developed the precise Persian solar calendar that is still used in Iran today. But it is a poet that he is celebrated; his collection of poetic works, Rubayyat, is one of the treasures of Persian literature.
Now, 900 years later, Khayyam’s home town of Neishabour is a city of 500,000 located 70 miles west of Mashad, the capital of Iran’s largest province, Khorassan. Located in Iran’s extreme northeast abutting Afghanistan and Turkmenistan, the terrain and people of Korassan give it a distinctly central Asian appearance. With its proximity to the terminus of the Silk Road traveled by Marco Polo and succeeding caravans from Europe to China, Nesihabour was the first city in what is now Iran to suffer the Mongol invasions of the 13th century. As exotic as the other regions of Iran may seem to a westerner, Khorassan Province seems even more so to me with its Afghani influence and stark, rolling mountains.
This rural town is home to a campus of nationwide, government-operated Azad University. Three thousand students from the surrounding area study management and agriculture, with more courses of study planned for the near future, including astronomy. The astronomy connection comes primarily from Neishabour’s association with Omar Khayyam. The venerated poet’s tomb now has a gorgeous open structure standing over it, a modern tower of blue and white sporting inscriptions of the poet’s verse. We attended the annual celebration of Khayyam at his tomb in a park near other important monuments to the past. The festivities were attended by prominent citizens of Neishabour and officials of the provincial government, along with over 1000 others crowded into the surrounding parkland. The internally lit monument gave an almost surreal atmosphere to the history, music and recited verse from Rubayyat that were all a part of the ceremony.
As in other towns with astronomy enthusiasts anticipating our arrival, our small group of westerner astronomers did not escape celebrity status. We were among a small group of notables given one flower each and ushered to the venerated poet’s tomb for a more intimate ceremony (if such a thing is possible with television news cameras rolling), a recitation by a famous poet and the placing of the flowers on the tomb. It was a bit awkward being before the crowd and cameras without knowing just what was expected but it was clearly an honor nonetheless. Soon after returning to our seats, within the Farsi narration I heard my name and those of the other western guests over the loudspeakers. With television cameras rolling I was suddenly ushered to the stage to speak – with no instruction on what to speak about. Standing behind an Afghani traditional musical group waiting to perform, I gave a simple statement of appreciation for the welcome we had received in Neishabour and the honor of being a part of the ceremonies. It must have been the right thing to say – as I walked the long aisle back to my seat audience members in every row leaned towards the aisle to thank me for my words. As elsewhere in our journey the Iranians were hospitable, welcoming and always appreciative of the slightest measure of goodwill.
Astronomy in Neishabour is becoming far more important than just the association with a distant ancestor, however. In addition to an active amateur astronomy community, local teachers are getting their students involved in astronomy, a practice that seems to be a driving force behind the tremendous upsurge in interest in the science throughout Iran. Alireza Khomarian is one such teacher in Neishabour. Alireza holds star parties for his 10 to 14 year old students at which they draw star charts locating objects they’ve observed. At other times they collect articles for a scrapbook, produce a gallery of their projects, translate web sites into Farsi for other amateurs and track the motion of sunspots. Their participation in astronomy is active and public, much as we’ve found in other cities in Iran.
But the biggest astronomical news in Neishabour is a construction project a short walk from Omar Khayyam’s tomb. The Khayyam Cultural and Scientific Society ( is building a planetarium and science center that will be among the largest in the Middle East. Stadium seating for 280 people faces a large screen on one side of the theater for a variety of presentations within the 76-foot dome. The five million dollar project will be paid primarily by large contributors and investors, with only the Zeiss Universarium projector provided by the government. A variety of departments will be operated by diverse organizations and universities. Support for the project is broad, with many volunteers – all the way up to the director of the construction project – giving their time and skills to ensure its completion. The design drawings show a complex of exquisite beauty matching the Khayyam monument nearby, and townspeople hope that it will attract visitors and investment in their developing rural town. As elsewhere in Iran, if enthusiasm was sufficient then success would be assured.
PHOTO CAPTIONS: Photos by the author except as noted. Omar Khayyam tomb.jpg: The ancient tomb of Persian poet, mathematician and astronomer Omar Khayyam now has a modern monument, here internally lit during an annual celebration. Cobbler.jpg: While most shops in bazaars sell electronics and other necessities of modern life, a few remnants of ancient skills remain. This cobbler practices his trade in the old bazaar of Neishabour in eastern Iran. Street musician.jpg: A street musician practices his trade on a traditional instrument from Afghanistan less than 100 miles distant from the eastern Iran city of Neishabour. Planetarium.jpg: The design of the Khayyam Cultural and Scientific Society’s planetarium and adjacent buildings blend with the nearby tomb of Omar Khayyam. Panel.jpg: After presentations to an enthusiastic audience, diverse questions were posed to this panel of astronomers from the US and Germany as well as Iran. This small conference was held in a theater in Neishabour, requiring a set change from the play that had taken place that afternoon. Director.jpg: Mohammed Choopankareh, project director, in the 23-meter dome of the planetarium now under construction by the Khayyam Cultural and Scientific Society in Neishabour, eastern Iran. (Photo by Gernot Meiser)
