Today is the birthday of the most influential and beloved person in my life — Omar Khayyam.
A poet of joy, a philosopher of doubt, and a scientist of the stars.
I am his follower…
I have followed him since childhood.
In southern Iran, where I was born, everyone knew his quatrains by heart.
We had a beautiful ritual called Khayyam-khani —
a celebration where men and women would gather to recite his verses aloud,
to sing, to dance, and to live in the moment.
Khayyam-khani was not just about poetry.
It was a way of thinking — of honoring freedom and joy.
After the Islamic Revolution, this ritual was banned.
They tried to silence the voice of Khayyam, to outlaw the dance and the song…
But Khayyam could never be silenced.
Today, once again, his voice rises in the alleys and almost everywhere..
People chant his verses, whisper them to the wind,
and Khayyam-khani lives again —
reborn in the hearts of those who seek meaning, freedom, and light.
Because Khayyam was more than a poet.
He was a master of science and philosophy.
In mathematics, astronomy, and algebra,
his brilliance shone centuries ahead of its time.
One of his greatest contributions was the creation of the Jalali Calendar —
a solar calendar more precise than the Gregorian one we use today.
Working with a team of scholars in the observatory of Malik Shah Seljuk,
he mapped time with extraordinary accuracy.
Even the stars listened when Khayyam spoke.
Yes — he is still with us.
In poetry, in music, in science, in rebellion,
and in every soul that dares to live fully in the now.
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