Mausoleum of Khayyam
The mausoleum of Khayyam, burial place of Ghiyāth ad-Din Abu'l Fath 'Umar ibn Ibrahim al-Khayyam Nishapuri, is located in the town of Neishābur (Khorāsān Razavi region) and the 2 Aprile 1963 was inaugurated. Before, until the year 1943 it had a simple appearance.
This very beautiful 22 meter high concrete and steel building is a fusion of ancient and modern architecture as well as a remarkable example of the new Iranian architecture whose design reflects the life, the era and the thoughts of Omar Khayyam and it is based on three characteristics of his personality, namely: "his being a mathematician", "astronomer" and "poet". The buildings around the mausoleum reflect the influence of the craft of Khayyām's father (tent builder).
In addition to the mausoleum you can see the Mohammad Mahruq mosque, the library, the museum dedicated to Khayyam and the hostel located inside the ancient garden of the Imāmzādeh Mahruq, place of pilgrimage of the followers. A statue of Khayyām is located at the entrance to the garden.
The mausoleum building has 10 pillars, 10 is the first two-digit number in mathematics and the main pillar represents the numbers. From each pillar two oblique lozenges spiral up so as to intersect with each other and to create the ceiling of the building and from another part they go down and this is one of the complicated aspects of mathematics.
This geometric shape and the 10 number are both symbols of the mathematical knowledge of Khayyam. The meeting of the lozenges between them creates full and empty spaces and in particular at the top gives life to stars inside each other and through these you can see the blue sky of Neishābur; the closer you get to the top of the dome, the smaller the stars become and finally a five-pointed star completes them.
These stars and the appearance of the sky refer to the astronomical knowledge of Khayyam. Twenty-four quatrains with authentic Iranian calligraphy are engraved in the rhomboid and majolica inscriptions of the mausoleum. From the inside the rhombuses themselves are decorated with poems with motifs of flowers, leaves and ivy adorned with inlaid tiles and all refer to the poet Khayyām.
Next to the mausoleum there are also seven very beautiful stone tabernacles (referring to the name of Khayyam since his father was a tent builder) and under each was a tub made of turquoise tiles.
The museum dedicated to him exhibits precious works including: objects related to astronomical science such as: various instruments, the astrolabe, various types of compasses and constellations, bronze and steel containers contemporary to his era, enamelled terracotta bowls, manuscripts also astronomical and paintings related tohakim Omar Khayyam ("Wise", a title given to scientists who had the merit of being learned in different fields).
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