Omar Khayyam, the man behind the Rubáiyát, was no ordinary poet. He was born on May 18, 1048, in Nishapur, in what is now northeastern Iran. His surname, “Khayyam,” meaning tentmaker, likely described his father’s profession. But young Omar quickly outgrew any legacy of canvas and rope. His teachers recognized a prodigious intellect, and he was sent to study with the most respected scholar in the region, Imam Muwaffaq Nishapuri. This was not merely book learning. Omar became fluent in philosophy, astronomy, mathematics, medicine, and the fine art of skeptical inquiry.

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