Ryerson University
CHST 787 – Astronomy vs. Astrology
Final Essay: Biography of Omar Khayyam
Instructor: Dr. Conner Burns
Kian Shahidi
500416118
Biography of Omar Khayyam
Abolghasem Ghiyath Al-Din Abul-Fath Omar Ibn Ibrahim Al-Nisapuri Al-Khayyam was born in Nishapur located in the north east of current Iran in 1048 and he was one of the most recognized poet, astronomer, polymath, philosopher and mathematician of 11th century in the ancient Persian region. His father was a tent maker and as was common in old days, his last name came through his father’s occupation, meaning tent maker. Within 83 years of his precious and extensive life, he had worked on problems of Algebra, Arithmetic, music composition and song writing and most importantly Astronomy. He was able to benefit the most of his talents whom at the age of 25 he finished working on a book related to Arithmetic, one for music and another one for Algebra.
The political events in 11 and in early 12 centuries helped him to devote his time to his interests. He had relocated in Samarkand (Current Uzbekistan) in 1070 BC. He was supported by “Abu-Tahir”, a powerful and well-known man in the city. Khayyam was being able to work and finish his “treatise on demonstration of problems of Algebra” during his time staying in Samarkand.
Nishapur was located in province Khorasan in the middle of “Silk Road”, the most recognized road in the Middle East and the world’s biggest market of that time. Growing up in a big city helped him to access variety of sources for his curious mind. In 11th century, the city of Nishapur was so enormous and huge that there was only one city in Europe which was bigger than that. [1]
In that era “Seljuq Turkish” invaded a huge area of s...
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... and also his poems this world could be something different.
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Throughout the novels of Naguib Mahfouz' Cairo Trilogy, the most noticeable element is the progression of time. In tracing the lives of three generations of the Abd al-Jawad family, Mahfouz manages to structure a chronicle of Egypt during his lifetime that describes not only the lives of the family but the social, political and philosophical change of the entire nation. While it is dangerous to read only for social analysis in Mahfouz' essentially artistic work, the changes in Egypt during the novel make its characters' relationships to a shifting Egypt clear. The character of Kamal is a very intriguing part of this depiction because of his similarity to Mahfouz and the consequent illustration of the changes which seem to have impacted Mahfouz most personally. Kamal can be seen as an essentially autobiographical character as well as a type representing Egyptian philosophical involvement and change between the two World Wars.
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Khaled Hosseini was born in March 4th, 1965 in Kabul, Afghanistan and he is an Afghan-American novelist. He debuted in the year 2003 and released his book called “The Kite Runner”. The book opened to widespread critical acclaim and strong commercial success worldwide. And for this kind of novel he received Alex Award, Boeke Prize, ALA Notable Book and a lot of other prestigious awards. He has then authored several other books in his career. There was no turning back for Khaled Hosseini after his first breakthrough because he yet again produced a masterpiece in 2007 with the book “A Thousand Splendid Suns”. The book has been his most decent and productive authorship for which he received plenty of awards and international popularity in the world. His third and final notable work is «And the Mountains Echoed», which has received generally positive reviews from critics and readers. Khaled Hosseini is regarded as the most important American author of this time. He has been praised for his excellent writing skills in writing novels. He is very good in writing women’s issues and rights in Afghanistan.
The Islamic tradition, as reflected in Naguib Mahfouz’s Zaabalawi, has over the course of history had an incredible impact on Arab culture. In Mahfouz’s time, Islamic practices combined with their political relevance proved a source of both great power and woe in Middle Eastern countries. As alluded to in Zaabalawi, Mahfouz asserts the fact that not all Muslims attain religious fulfillment through this common tradition, and other methods outside the scope of Islam may be necessary in true spiritual understanding.
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