آرامــگاه حکیـم عمـر خیــام اثر هوشنگ سیحون

The Mausoleum of Ḥakīm ʿUmar Khayyām, Designed by Houshang Seyhoun

Through the Efforts of the Society for National Heritage

Khwāja Imām Ḥujjat al-Ḥaqq Abū al-Fatḥ ʿUmar ibn Ibrāhīm Khayyāmī of Nishapur, known as Ḥakīm ʿUmar Khayyām, was one of Iran’s greatest mathematicians, philosophers, and poets. The earliest sources in which Khayyām is mentioned—apart from Sanāʾī’s letter to him—include, in order: Chahār Maqāla by Niẓāmī ʿArūḍī Samarqandī, Mirṣād al-ʿIbād by Shaykh Najm al-Dīn Abū Bakr Rāzī (known as Dāya), Nuzhat al-Arwāḥ wa Rawḍat al-Afrāḥ fī Tārīkh al-Ḥukamāʾ al-Mutaqaddimīn wa al-Mutaʾakhkhirīn by Shams al-Dīn Muḥammad ibn Maḥmūd al-Shahrazūrī, Kāmil al-Tawārīkh by Ibn al-Athīr, Taʾrīkh al-Ḥukamāʾ by Qāḍī Akram Jamāl al-Dīn Abū al-Ḥasan ʿAlī ibn Yūsuf al-Qifṭī, Āthār al-Bilād wa Akhbār al-ʿIbād by Zakariyyā ibn Muḥammad ibn Maḥmūd al-Qazwīnī, Jāmiʿ al-Tawārīkh by Rashīd al-Dīn Faḍl Allāh, Firdaws al-Tawārīkh by Abrqūhī, and Taʾrīkh-i Alfī by Aḥmad ibn Naṣr Allāh Tattavī (as cited in Qazvīnī’s annotations on the Chahār Maqāla). Khayyām was born sometime between 230 and 440 A.H. The details of his youth and education remain uncertain, yet it is established that he became one of the leading figures of his era in philosophy, mathematics, astronomy, and medicine. In 467 A.H., Sultan Malikshāh Seljuk appointed Khayyām, along with several other renowned scholars of the time—including Abū al-Muẓaffar Isfazārī, Maymūn ibn Najīb Wāsiṭī, and Abū al-ʿAbbās Lawkarī—to reform the calendar. It has been written that: *“Khayyām’s theories on calendar reform were even more accurate than the present European Gregorian calendar, for while the Gregorian calendar errs by one day in 2,320 years, Khayyām’s calendar errs by one day only in 3,770 years.” In collaboration with Abū al-Fatḥ ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Manṣūr al-Khāzinī and other scholars, Khayyām organized an observatory for Malikshāh, on which great sums were spent; it remained active until 485 A.H., the year of Malikshāh’s death, after which it was abandoned. The treatises Khayyām left in mathematics all bear testimony to his mastery and expertise in the field. As mentioned, he was also among the eminent physicians of his time; it is recorded that when Sanjar, the son of Malikshāh, contracted smallpox, Khayyām was appointed to treat him. Khayyām enjoyed respect among kings, dignitaries, and scholars of his era, and maintained relations with Seljuk rulers such as Malikshāh and Khwāja Niẓām al-Mulk, as well as intellectuals like al-Ghazālī. Yet Khayyām’s extraordinary fame in the modern era—across the East, Europe, and America—is primarily due to the philosophical quatrains attributed to him. His mathematical works (such as Al-Jabr wa al-Muqābala, Fi Sharḥ mā Ashkala min Muṣādarāt Kitāb Uqlīdis, and his solution of an algebraic problem through conic sections) attest to his profound scholarship. George Sarton, the historian of science at Harvard University, in his Introduction to the History of Science, writes: “ʿUmar Khayyām was one of the greatest mathematicians of the Middle Ages. His book on algebra contains both algebraic and geometric solutions to quadratic equations, an admirable classification of linear, quadratic, and cubic equations, and systematic investigations into their complete and incomplete solutions. This treatise is one of the most remarkable works of medieval mathematics, and perhaps the most remarkable of all in this science.”

Poetry was not Khayyām’s profession, yet at times he expressed his ideas and reflections in wise quatrains. Some of his writings were lost through the vicissitudes of history. Contrary to popular misconceptions that portray him as a libertine or wine-worshipper—labels spread either through misinterpretation or ulterior motives—historical evidence consistently refutes such claims, instead affirming Khayyām’s profound intellect and scholarship. The late Nakhjavānī wrote: “Such careless notions lead Iranians toward stagnation, lethargy, and indifference. We must claim Khayyām for Iran, not Iran for Khayyām.” From the nineteenth century onward, Ḥakīm ʿUmar Khayyām rose to international fame, and without exaggeration may be regarded as the most celebrated Persian poet in the Western world. This renown began with Edward FitzGerald’s (England, 1809) translations of Khayyām’s poetry into English. Using a manuscript in Oxford’s Bodleian Library, dated 865 A.H. and containing 101 quatrains, FitzGerald published his first translation in 1859, thus introducing Khayyām to Europe and America.

The English Reception of Khayyām’s Poetry

The reception of these poems in England was such that many people committed numerous verses to memory. Their expressions became proverbial, entered into common sayings, and words such as “jug, cupbearer, nightingale, Parvin (the Pleiades), caravanserai, Jamshid, and Bahrām”—all of which FitzGerald retained verbatim in his translation—became familiar to English speakers. The earliest source that mentions Khayyām’s grave is Niẓāmī ʿArūḍī’s Chahār Maqāla, written in 506 A.H., which, in addition to recording the precise location of the tomb, states: “In the midst of a convivial gathering, I heard from Ḥujjat al-Ḥaqq ʿUmar that he said: ‘My grave shall be in a place where every spring the north wind scatters flowers upon me.’ This remark impressed me, for I knew he would not utter such words idly. When in the year 530 I arrived in Nishapur, several years had already passed since that great man had veiled his face beneath the soil.” (Baḥr al-ʿUlūmī, 1976). After the death of Ḥakīm ʿUmar Khayyām, his body was interred in the Ḥīra cemetery of Nishapur, near the shrine of Imāmzāda Muḥammad Maḥrūq. With the Mongol invasion of Nishapur and the subsequent massacre, the city’s buildings were destroyed and its cemeteries desecrated. The shrine of Imāmzāda Maḥrūq was first rebuilt during the reign of Sulṭān Ḥusayn Bayqara. Later, in the Safavid period under Shāh Ṭahmāsp, an iwan in front of the shrine and surrounding chambers were constructed. One of these chambers, to the east of the shrine, became the site of Khayyām’s grave, which was marked by a rectangular tomb of brick and plaster placed at the center of the chamber.

As we have explained in earlier issues of Honar-e Memari, in 1934 (1313 A.H. Solar), during the millennial celebrations of Ferdowsī in Tehran and Ṭūs, it was anticipated that Orientalists and scholars traveling to Ṭūs would naturally pass through Nishapur and visit Khayyām’s tomb. Therefore, the Society for National Heritage resolved to construct a mausoleum for him. Due to limited time, a temporary open-air stone structure was hastily erected at the site of Khayyām’s grave chamber. The new design was the work of Karīm Ṭāherzāda Behzād and was located east of the shrine of Imāmzāda Maḥrūq beneath the open sky. It consisted of two iwans, one upper and one lower, and a low stone wall of Khallaj stone from Mashhad surrounding the grave site.

Upon the grave—situated a few meters away from the shrine wall—a column was placed, inscribed with quatrains by Malek al-Shoʿarāʾ Bahār:

Sit upon Khayyām’s soil and seek delight,

For one brief moment flee the sorrows of time.

If you would know the date of this shrine’s foundation,

Seek joy of heart and faith from Khayyām’s tomb.

Concerning this visit (the visit of Ferdowsī Millennium guests to Khayyām’s tomb), Dr. Ṣedīq, himself part of the caravan, wrote:

 “The Orientalists gradually arrived, entered the garden, and were delighted by its pleasant scenery, praising Iranian taste and artistry until they reached Khayyām’s grave and gathered around it. Those who knew Persian recited the above quatrain, translating it for the others. The extraordinary eagerness of the Orientalists to visit Khayyām led them to deep reflection and meditation. Suddenly, Sir Denison Ross, who had written a study on Khayyām, loudly recited from memory the following quatrain from FitzGerald’s English translation:

Whether life’s cup be sweet or bitter, it passes away.

When the goblet is full, what matters Nishapur or Balkh?

Drink wine! For after you and me, the moon

Will rise and set from new month to full countless times.

Shortly thereafter, Drinkwater recited another quatrain from FitzGerald’s translation, in a most melodious and moving voice:

When friends gather together at the appointed time,

Let them rejoice in the beauty of one another.

When the cupbearer raises the Magian wine in hand,

May he remember poor me in his prayers.

Concerning this visit (the visit of Ferdowsī Millennium guests to Khayyām’s tomb), Dr. Ṣedīq, himself part of the caravan, wrote:

 “The Orientalists gradually arrived, entered the garden, and were delighted by its pleasant scenery, praising Iranian taste and artistry until they reached Khayyām’s grave and gathered around it. Those who knew Persian recited the above quatrain, translating it for the others. The extraordinary eagerness of the Orientalists to visit Khayyām led them to deep reflection and meditation. Upon hearing this quatrain, one of the guests was so overcome with emotion that he burst into tears, and naturally the others followed suit, so that a state overtook the gathering that words cannot describe.” (Baḥr al-ʿUlūmī, 1976).

The New Mausoleum of Khayyām

From the moment Khayyām’s mausoleum was inaugurated in 1934, admirers and connoisseurs alike considered it unworthy of his stature. Particularly after the construction of the mausoleums of Avicenna and Saʿdī, and the initiation of Nader’s tomb, the Society for National Heritage was continually petitioned to erect a monument befitting Khayyām’s rank. In 1954, Mr. Fāẓelī, the head of education in Nishapur, repeatedly sent reports and letters to the Governor of Khorasan, the Ministry of Culture, and the Society for National Heritage, conveying the requests of the people and pilgrims for a proper mausoleum. In July 1956, Governor Rām of Khorasan formally requested the Society to prepare plans for the tombs of Khayyām and ʿAṭṭār. Subsequently, Reżā Jaʿfarī, then Governor and head of the Society’s Khorasan branch, wrote to the Society that during his visit to Nishapur, he had inspected Khayyām’s tomb and found it utterly unworthy of the sage’s stature, urging immediate action for reconstruction. By November 1956, the Society informed the Governor that plans were already underway to design suitable monuments for Khayyām, ʿAṭṭār, and Kamāl al-Mulk, and that the final designs would be sent once completed. In August 1956, the Society wrote to Engineer Houshang Seyhoun, professor at the University of Tehran, stating: “According to reports, the present condition of Khayyām’s tomb is most unsatisfactory. The Society intends to take action. Please prepare the necessary design and collaborate with us.” In December of the same year, another letter reiterated that since a mausoleum befitting Khayyām and Kamāl al-Mulk was to be built, Seyhoun should prepare a design worthy of their stature. A month later, Engineers Seyhoun and Hossein Jowdat visited Khayyām’s tomb in Nishapur and reported: “…As you have observed, the present site of the tomb is attached to the shrine of Imāmzāda Maḥrūq, and any construction there would deprive Khayyām’s mausoleum of independence and prominence. It is therefore essential to designate a new site within the same complex. After due study, the location was determined, and preliminary sketches prepared, so that upon approval, detailed plans and cost estimates may be presented.” (Baḥr al-ʿUlūmī, 1976) It should be noted that the garden of Imāmzāda Muḥammad Maḥrūq, constructed during the Safavid period on the site of the Ḥīra cemetery, covers approximately 43,200 square meters, rectangular in shape, 240 meters in length and 180 meters in width, oriented north–south, with the shrine situated at its center. The site Seyhoun selected for Khayyām’s new mausoleum, where the monument now stands, is located in the northeastern corner of the garden. The Society sent Seyhoun’s design to the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Tehran on May 27, 1958, requesting a thorough review. On June 7, 1958, Professor Moḥsen Foroughi, Dean of the Faculty, responded that the design, prepared by Professor Houshang Seyhoun and accompanied by models, had been carefully examined. Given that the design drew extensively upon the principles and aesthetics of Iranian architecture, the plan was deemed entirely fitting for the mausoleum of the great sage of Iran. Thereafter, the Society’s board held multiple sessions to discuss the design and construction of the mausoleum in detail. On several occasions, Khorasan’s parliamentary representatives, including Mr. Mūʾayyad Sābetī and Mr. Nabavī, were also in attendance.

The Contract with Engineer Houshang Seyhoun and the Construction of Khayyām’s Mausoleum

On March 15, 1959 (24 Esfand 1337), a contract consisting of 13 articles was signed between the Society for National Heritage and Engineer Houshang Seyhoun. According to this agreement, Seyhoun undertook to design the plans for the mausoleums of Khayyām and Kamāl al-Mulk, together with the subsidiary buildings, landscaping, water features, and the street linking the two monuments, and to supervise their execution. For the preparation of designs, technical calculations, and supervision, he was to be paid the equivalent of five percent of the total cost of the works. Under this contract, Engineer Seyhoun committed to preparing and gradually delivering the preliminary, final, and detailed architectural drawings of Khayyām’s memorial. These were to include the main structure, the surrounding terraces, fountains, and subsidiary buildings. The final designs, based on the model and preliminary scheme already approved by the University of Tehran and the Society, were to be delivered within three months of signing, while the detailed plans would be submitted progressively thereafter. Furthermore, Seyhoun was assigned full responsibility for supervising construction. He was obliged to appoint a qualified civil engineer, experienced in site work, as his permanent representative at the construction site, with the salary to be paid by Seyhoun himself. In addition, Seyhoun personally was required to inspect and supervise the works on site every two months and to submit written progress reports to the Society. He also agreed to coordinate the work schedule with the contractor to ensure that the building would be completed in time for the inauguration of Nader’s mausoleum.

In a report submitted to the Society, Engineers Seyhoun and Jowdat described some of the planned features of Khayyām’s mausoleum:

 “The structural skeleton will be of metal, clad with aluminum. The roof will incorporate thick, colored glass, and the wall surfaces will be decorated inside and out with tilework. The foundations will be in reinforced concrete, with granite steps, platforms, and fountains. The walls adjacent to the fountains will be faced with travertine, and the tombstone itself will be of black stone from Mashhad. The mausoleum will be situated at the eastern end of the garden’s central axis, at the beginning of a change in level, thereby making full use of the vista of the Imāmzāda Maḥrūq garden.”

The Contractor

On December 13, 1958 (22 Azar 1337), the construction company KAJT informed the Society for National Heritage:

 “With full awareness of Engineer Houshang Seyhoun’s requirements for Khayyām’s mausoleum—that it be executed in fine concrete, flawless in every respect, and acceptable to both the supervising engineer and the Society—our company is prepared to undertake this project. Should the employment of foreign experts and workers prove necessary, we will proceed with their recruitment, subject to the approval of the Society and Engineer Seyhoun, in order to complete the work in a manner worthy of acceptance.” (Baḥr al-ʿUlūmī, 1976)

Subsequently, Seyhoun and Jowdat wrote to the Society:

 “As you know, the preliminary design for Khayyām’s mausoleum was based on a metal framework to be clad in aluminum. However, consultations with specialists revealed that aluminum sheathing would have undesirable effects on the metal due to chemical interactions. It was therefore decided that the structure should be executed in fine concrete, and that the height of the mausoleum should be increased from 12 meters to 22 meters, thereby giving it greater grandeur. Since commissioning foreign firms directly would entail considerable expense, and since the KAJT company has declared its willingness to execute the construction at its own responsibility, employing foreign specialists if necessary, we believe it best to entrust the project to this company. In the construction of Nader’s mausoleum, KAJT demonstrated both its competence and its commitment to quality, proving itself to be a contractor of reliability and precision. Given the technical requirements of Khayyām’s mausoleum, which demand the utmost care in durability and craftsmanship, it is advisable to assign the project to this company. Even the slightest negligence here could, as with Ferdowsī’s mausoleum, lead to regret.”

Engineers Moḥsen Foroughi, Ṣādeq, Seyhoun, and Jowdat also prepared an official statement for the Society:

 “The construction of Khayyām’s mausoleum—consisting of a structural skeleton in metal and concrete, with stone facing and tilework—cannot be regarded as an ordinary building for which external analogies exist. Though delicate in appearance, it must be executed with extreme precision to ensure both durability and aesthetic excellence. Because of the refinement of the operations required, the work must be entrusted to a contractor who not only has a strong record in major projects but has also demonstrated skill in works of a comparable nature.” (Baḥr al-ʿUlūmī, 1976). KAJT, equipped with the necessary tools and with experience in major projects, had already, in the construction of Nader Shah’s mausoleum, proven its reliability and professionalism. With the approval of Seyhoun as supervising architect and the satisfaction of the Society, KAJT was therefore entrusted with the execution of Khayyām’s mausoleum. It was further noted that, given the unique technical operations involved, certain items of work might not correspond to the unit prices of earlier contracts, and that new, appropriate pricing should be established where necessary.

Board Decisions and Commencement of Construction

At the meeting of the Board of Directors of the Society for National Heritage held on December 23, 1958 (2 Dey 1337), and in view of the proven record of the KAJT Company in the construction of Nader’s mausoleum, the contents of the aforementioned reports, and the exceptional requirements of Khayyām’s mausoleum, it was resolved that—so as not to delay this important undertaking—the execution of the project be entrusted to KAJT. The company was also required to honor the same discount it had granted in the construction of Nader’s mausoleum. For, even if the project were to be put out to tender, the likelihood of securing a discount greater than that achieved in the Nader project was remote; and any new contractor would still require time to prove his competence. Accordingly, on December 28, 1958 (7 Dey 1337), the Society wrote to KAJT informing them of its acceptance of their proposal to build Khayyām’s mausoleum under the stated conditions. On the same day, a letter was also addressed to Dr. Mehrān, Minister of Culture, requesting that the General Directorate of Endowments grant the Society’s representatives and the contractor access to that part of the Imāmzāda Maḥrūq garden designated for the mausoleum, and instructing the relevant offices in Nishapur to give their fullest cooperation in this important matter.

The Laying of the Foundation Stone

At 5 p.m. on Tuesday, May 18, 1959 (28 Ordībehesht 1338), in the presence of the Governor of Khorasan, several members of the provincial Society for National Heritage, local officials, and notables of Nishapur, the foundation stone of Khayyām’s mausoleum was ceremonially laid. In his opening address, Mr. Barahmand, governor of Nishapur, declared:

 “In late 1958, General Sepahbod Āqāvalli, chairman of the Society’s board, accompanied by a number of engineers and Mr. ʿElmi, director of historic monuments, visited Nishapur. They inspected the tomb of ʿAṭṭār and the grave of the late painter Muḥammad Ghaffārī (Kamāl al-Mulk). Upon their return to Tehran, the contract for the design of Khayyām’s mausoleum was concluded with Engineer Seyhoun, and the construction was entrusted to the KAJT Company. The excavation of the site has now been completed, and today we lay the first stone of the new building. Restoration of the mausoleum of Shaykh Farīd al-Dīn ʿAṭṭār has also begun, and plans for Kamāl al-Mulk’s tomb are being prepared. The required stones for piers, inscriptions, and dadoes—both interior and exterior—are being prepared in Mashhad and transported to Nishapur. A group of master tile-makers in Mashhad is producing fine tiles for the mausoleum’s façades. A comprehensive plan has been drawn for a wide, tree-lined avenue to connect the two mausoleums of Khayyām and ʿAṭṭār, and construction of this thoroughfare has already begun. As much of the land was privately owned, Mr. Ebrāhīm Saʿīdī, member of the Society in Nishapur, purchased the plots on its behalf. To provide water for the needs of the two mausoleums, for irrigation, and for gardening, a contract for drilling a deep well was concluded with a Khorasan company, of which seventy meters has already been dug. In the course of these works, major repairs to the historic shrine of Imāmzāda Maḥrūq, situated in the same garden, will also be undertaken. Furthermore, the Society has entered into agreements with scholars and authors for the publication of some of the works of Khayyām and ʿAṭṭār, as well as new studies on these two great figures.”

At the conclusion of this address, Mr. Reżā Jaʿfarī, Governor of Khorasan and president of the provincial branch of the Society, placed a commemorative plaque within the foundations, inscribed with the name of the Society and the date (28 Ordībehesht 1338).

Progress of Construction

Thus, from early 1959, the construction of Khayyām’s mausoleum formally began, and much of the foundational work was completed in the same year. This included: excavation and concrete foundations for the carved stone perimeter walls, construction of portions of the entrance avenue’s stone walls, installation of granite steps at the entrance and throughout the garden, initial works on the reception hall, library, and office, erection of part of the steel framework of the mausoleum, preparation and carving of cladding stones, and procurement of granite for fountains and water features. It soon became clear, however, that the intended use of fine reinforced concrete was technically impracticable in Iran. It was therefore proposed that the lattice tower of the mausoleum be built with a steel skeleton, clad externally with finely cut stone and decorated with tilework. Since this revision entailed higher costs and longer construction time, the matter was referred to the Society’s board of founders, who, after on-site inspections in Nishapur and Mashhad in December 1959, approved the revised plan: a lattice tower of steel framework, clad in stone, with rich tile decorations. Construction continued through 1960 and 1961. Among the final works completed in 1961 were: installation of stone cladding; preparation and mounting of eight large lozenge-shaped mosaic panels inscribed in monumental taʿlīq script with Khayyām’s quatrains, interwoven with arabesque floral motifs, on both interior and exterior façades; mosaic tilework for the inner dome; stone inlay on the dome’s exterior; completion of granite fountains around the courtyard; construction of stone walls along the avenue opposite the mausoleum; retaining walls in front of the elevated platform facing Imāmzāda Maḥrūq; installation of railings; covering the fountain basins with irregular granite slabs; asphalting of the entrance and southern roads; completion of the walkways around the guesthouse, office, and library; landscaping for lawns and flowerbeds; four sets of stone steps along the central axis; and furnishing of the guesthouse, office, and library with carpets, furniture, and bedding. Thus, by early 1962 (1341 A.H. Solar), construction of Khayyām’s mausoleum was completed. This architectural landmark was officially registered in the National Heritage List on December 9, 1975 (18 Azar 1354) under number 12/1175.

Transfer of Khayyām’s Remains

In April 1962, as construction neared completion, the Society wrote to the governor of Nishapur, head of the provincial Society, and Mr. Ebrāhīm Saʿīdī, member of the Society, stating:

 “After removal of the remains from Khayyām’s former tomb, the bones must, with utmost care and in the presence of representatives of the Society and competent authorities, be documented through precise photography, then placed in a casket. Following proper religious rites, the casket shall be interred in the new mausoleum in accordance with religious customs. The representative of the KAJT company should be informed in advance so that the burial site is prepared.” (Baḥr al-ʿUlūmī, 1976). On May 19, 1962 (29 Ordībehesht 1341), in the presence of General Sepahbod Āqāvalli, Dr. Ṣedīq, General Fīrūz, Ḥasan Nabavī, Dr. ʿAlī-Akbar Shahābī (Director-General of Endowments), and a group of notables, officials, and members of the Nishapur branch of the Society, the remains—encased in a reliquary—were solemnly transferred to the new mausoleum after religious ceremonies.

Remnants of the Former Mausoleum

In March 1962 (Esfand 1340), Engineers Seyhoun and Jowdat reported to the Society for National Heritage that the municipality of Nishapur intended to transfer the remains of Khayyām’s former mausoleum to a square opposite the Khayyām High School. A memorandum was prepared and attached, stating:

 “With the erection of the grand memorial to Khayyām in the garden of Imāmzāda Maḥrūq, it was deemed necessary to relocate the structure of the former mausoleum to a more suitable site. In a meeting attended by the head of the city council, Mojtahedī (acting mayor), ʿAbdullāh Saʿīdī (former deputy of Nishapur), Ḥasan Jowdat, Engineer Seyhoun, and Engineer Konstantin, it was decided that the old monument should be transferred to one of the city squares. As construction of the new mausoleum will be completed by late April 1962, the relocation should be accomplished by that date.” (Baḥr al-ʿUlūmī, 1976)

The Architecture of the Mausoleum

Faramarz Pārsi writes:

 “With the nationalization of mausoleum building, two distinct paths emerged. One concerned the shrines of Imāmzādas, built through the endowments of devotees and shaped by the language of traditional religious architecture, enriched over time with elaborate embellishments such as mirrorwork. The other consisted of the tombs of poets, writers, and scholars, constructed with state budgets. The latter path, beginning with the mausoleums of Ḥāfeẓ and Ferdowsī under Reżā Shāh, combined elements of Iranian architecture with Western neoclassicism. With the entry of architects such as Foroughi and later Seyhoun, however, a new tendency emerged—one that can be said to have profoundly influenced the architecture of the late Pahlavi era. These architects, modernists at heart yet enamored of Iranian tradition, fused indigenous motifs with the individualism and innovation of modern architecture. A distinguishing feature of these mausoleums was their reflection of the honoree’s life and personality—whether as mathematician, poet, or philosopher—something previously absent in funerary architecture. Formally, while inspired by the historic tower-tombs, they employed stone and tile as their principal materials, often incorporating karbandi (geometric vaulting) with a modern reinterpretation.” The mausoleum of ʿUmar Khayyām is one of the finest examples of this genre. The renowned journal Japan Architect, in its January 1963 issue, praised the monument for its design and artistic qualities. The mausoleum stands in a vast garden outside Nishapur, two kilometers west of which lies another garden containing the tomb of the great mystic ʿAṭṭār. Initially, Khayyām’s grave was contiguous with Imāmzāda Maḥrūq, but the new mausoleum was aligned along an axis toward ʿAṭṭār’s tomb, with a connecting road constructed between the two sites. In accordance with Khayyām’s own testament, Houshang Seyhoun chose a site within the garden set three meters lower than the surrounding apricot trees, so that every spring blossoms would fall upon the grave. Seyhoun himself remarked that he had relocated the burial sites of seven figures: Khayyām, ʿĀref Qazvīnī, Abū Saʿīd Dukhdūk, Nāder Shāh Afshār, Colonel Moḥammad-Taqī Khān Pesyān, Avicenna, and Ferdowsī. The design of Khayyām’s mausoleum reflects his multifaceted identity as scientist, astronomer, philosopher, mathematician, and poet. Its architecture emphasizes geometry and astronomy, while drawing inspiration from the Persian garden. Around the central tower are seven triangular granite fountains, symbolizing the heavens and the stars, arranged in decagons and conical lattice vaults adorned with mosaic faience in flowing taʿlīq script. All of this speaks to Seyhoun’s profound and poetic interpretation of Khayyām’s genius. The fountains, set in a semicircle around the granite tower, with their triangular recesses and projections, evoke the form of a tent (khayma in Persian). The name “Khayyām,” meaning tentmaker, alludes to his father’s profession, and Seyhoun incorporated this motif throughout the design to echo Khayyām’s identity in the very waters and stone of his memorial.

Amīr Bānī-Masʿūd, in Contemporary Architecture of Iran, recounts Seyhoun’s own words about the design:

 “Over thirty years ago, when the Society for National Heritage decided to erect a suitable monument for Khayyām, I was entrusted with the task. Since it was impossible to build a large, prominent structure adjacent to the shrine of Imāmzāda Maḥrūq, I created a transverse axis in the garden, perpendicular to the main one, and placed the entrance to Khayyām’s mausoleum there. This axis also aligned with ʿAṭṭār’s garden, so that a new road linked the two. The circular base was divided into ten segments at five-meter intervals, so that the tower rests on ten foundations. The number ten, the first two-digit number, is fundamental in mathematics. From each base, two diagonal ribs rise and intersect in space, forming the overall volume of the tower. As the ribs ascend in a spiral, their crossings create complex geometries. At the uppermost point, the interlacing ribs generate overlapping star-shapes through which the blue sky of Nishapur appears, culminating in a five-pointed star—an explicit reference to Khayyām’s identity as an astronomer. The intersections form ten large lozenges, each filled with tilework. The best adornment was Khayyām’s own quatrains, inscribed in abstract, overlapping shekasteh script reminiscent of master calligraphers such as Mīr ʿEmād, transformed into mosaic ornament. The granite pools, lined with turquoise tiles, together form the seven-pointed star, signifying the seven heavens and celestial domes of Khayyām’s science, while also recalling the form of a tent. The ensemble, with its lofty trees and open-air setting, is profoundly poetic—exactly as Khayyām himself wished, so that in springtime, blossoms would shower his grave.” The lower lozenges of the tower are filled with elaborate *mosaic faience*: on the outer faces, pairs of quatrains inscribed in flowing, broken taʿlīq script; on the inner faces, arabesques of leaves and tendrils unfurl across the ceramic surfaces.

Design Details and Symbolism in Seyhoun’s Mausoleum for Khayyām

In Houshang Seyhoun’s design, the central lozenges of the structure are left open, framed with slender, translucent stones, while their interior surfaces on both sides are adorned with intricate mosaic faience. These shimmering inlays lend the building a striking poetic quality, directly alluding to Khayyām’s identity as a poet. It is worth noting that—unlike the modern innovation of calligraphic painting—the technique of stone-framed tilework has historic precedents. Among the most notable examples are the Darv-e Imām monument in Isfahan (880 A.H.), built over the shrines of Imāmzādas Ibrāhīm and Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn, where exquisite mosaic faience framed in marble survives, and the Mowlānā Mosque in Taybād, from the era of Shāhrokh Tīmūr, as well as the famed Blue Mosque of Tabriz (870 A.H.), where stone and tile are artfully interwoven into harmonious compositions of unrivalled delicacy. In Khayyām’s mausoleum, stones more durable than marble, yet equally rich in color and luminosity, were chosen to harmonize with the mosaic tiles. The triangular and lozenge-shaped forms that articulate the tenfold geometry of the structure, combined with the circular base and vertical curvature of the walls, produce subtle convexities throughout. Each stone was carved to follow these curvatures with precision. The underside of the dome is covered in mosaic tilework, while the exterior of the dome gleams with intricate stone marquetry. Around the mausoleum stand seven graceful stone “tents,” each sheltering a turquoise-tiled pool beneath, with water cascading into them to create scenes of extraordinary beauty. Behind the tower, in the outer courtyard, geometric pyramid-like fountains carved from massive granite boulders extend the celestial motif. Twenty of Khayyām’s most celebrated quatrains are inscribed on the ten external lozenge panels in monumental taʿlīq  script. These were carefully selected by Master Jalāl al-Dīn Homāʾī at the request of the Society for National Heritage, transcribed by calligrapher Morteżā ʿAbd al-Rasūlī, and realized in mosaic tiles by master craftsman Moṣṭafā Ṭabāṭabāʾī of Isfahan, together with his apprentices.

Critical Reflections on the Architecture

Architect and researcher Moḥsen Akbarzādeh observes:

 “Though one could, by genealogical classification, call Khayyām’s mausoleum a dome articulated with turrets and without a cap, one must nevertheless concede its uniqueness within tradition—uniqueness achieved precisely through continuity. This is not the familiar ‘modernization’ of tradition, whereby a modern building is seasoned with borrowed traditional elements, nor the reverse, where a traditional typology such as a dome is reinterpreted with modern gestures. In Khayyām’s mausoleum, tradition itself is rendered contemporaneous. The use of calligraphy, the geometric segmentation of the turrets, the openwork that exposes the sky, the non-loadbearing latticework, even the manner in which the dome joins the ground—none of these are mere modernization. Rather, they represent the fulfillment of a longstanding desire of Iranian architects: to extend the dome’s structural pattern beyond the limits of material constraint, here from the four supports of a chahārtāq to a decagonal base. The continuity of geometry in the landscaping echoes the extension of the dome chamber into the surrounding arcades of classical Persian ensembles. Yet the composition as a whole bears the mark of modern architectural pedagogy.”

Architectural historian Elaheh Najafī adds:

 “The mausoleum of Ḥakīm ʿUmar Khayyām and the city of Nishapur are mutually indebted to one another; each has safeguarded the other’s memory. For nearly six decades, Khayyām’s tomb has been central to Nishapur’s cultural identity and its tourism industry—so much so that the first image evoked by the name ‘Nishapur’ is often the mausoleum itself. Its location, slightly removed from the city’s bustle and set within a garden, has shielded it from environmental degradation, in contrast with monuments like Avicenna’s tomb. Within this ideal setting, Seyhoun—the father of modern Iranian architecture—employed masterful techniques and intelligent contrasts that amplify the monument’s allure: The monumental and godlike dimensions of the structure coexist with a sense of intimacy and humility, embodying both grandeur and humanity—qualities also debated in Khayyām’s personality. A steel skeleton and concrete framework, combined with modular openings and transparent vistas toward the sky and garden, create a structure that, despite its scale, appears light, fluid, and permeable to nature. All facets of Khayyām’s intellectual life—mathematics, astronomy, poetry, and philosophy—find architectural expression. Numbers, geometry, constellations, and verses converge into a single coherent language, inviting the observer to probe its mysteries, much as Khayyām himself was known for his probing genius. The consistency of concept, from the tombstone to the overall landscaping, ensures unity and harmony. Repeated motifs, carefully orchestrated compositions, and fidelity to the guiding inspiration produce an aesthetic coherence that is both poetic and rigorous. Finally, the monument appears to emerge organically from its site, rooted in the very earth of Nishapur—an integration of architecture and landscape achieved with exceptional mastery by Seyhoun.”

Tent-like Design and Site Context

The tent-like conception of the mausoleum (inspired by Khayyām’s very name and life), together with its ensemble of turquoise pools, granite pyramids, and flowing channels, all arranged around the circular center of the tower, creates the impression of a great pavilion. These elements encircle the monument as though it were draped in a tent, spreading across the garden’s ground like a garment, and absorbing the greenery of the orchard into its embrace. The mausoleum of Khayyām, beyond being an architectural jewel of its time, thus stands as a valuable model for architects: a lesson in the art of seeing, in conceptual ideation, in weaving together science, art, and nature, in comprehensive analysis of a design problem, and in ultimately achieving a coherent and poetic architectural response.

The Garden and Setting of the Mausoleum

As mentioned earlier, the mausoleum is situated in the northeastern corner of the garden of Imāmzāda Muḥammad Maḥrūq. The principal north–south avenue of the garden, lined with ancient trees, defines the main axis and vista of the shrine. Khayyām’s mausoleum rises to the northeast of this avenue, at a short distance from it, with a new westward axis leading to the garden’s entrance on the western side. Because of the differences in elevation within the garden, the floor of the main avenue and the base level of Khayyām’s mausoleum lie lower than the precinct of the Imāmzāda shrine and its forecourt. This ensures that the shrine, as a historic and religious monument, retains visual primacy. Within this topography, Khayyām’s mausoleum, set in the corner of the enclosure, acquires a balanced presence: on one side bounded by a stone wall, on the other opened by steps rising to the fountains and terraces around the tower. The platform above the fountains, level with the higher ground of the garden, has been planted with weeping willows, whose branches, spreading across the tower’s volume, heighten the verdancy and freshness of the setting. The tall retaining walls of the platform are built of stone, while between the terrace and the shrine of Imāmzāda Maḥrūq, a series of low, continuous railings has been installed to subtly demarcate the two precincts.

The Garden and Surroundings

The entire grounds of Khayyām’s mausoleum are carpeted with lawns, flowers, and greenery. Walkways have been constructed around the guesthouse, the office, and the library, while borders and flowerbeds line the garden’s avenues. The entrance and southern roads of the complex have been asphalted, and the walls of the avenue facing the mausoleum have been faced with stone. Extensive repairs and restorations carried out at the shrine of Imāmzāda Maḥrūq have further enhanced the dignity and splendor of Khayyām’s resting place. Tall lampposts have been installed throughout the grounds, each set upon a triangular black metal base, creating a play of light and shadow across the garden. The subtle illumination, mingled with silence, lends the entire site an atmosphere of solemn majesty. In every respect, the mausoleum and its garden can be counted among the most picturesque and beautiful places in Nishapur.

The Office, Library, and Reception Hall

On the northwestern side of Khayyām’s garden stands the office, fully equipped with all necessary furnishings. Measuring 4.46 × 3.70 meters, it has on its western wall a stone slab inscribed with a qaṣīda (ode) by Ebrāhīm Ṣahbā, accompanied by a prefatory text. To the east of the office lies Khayyām’s library, measuring 6.90 × 6.90 meters, which at the time of its inauguration contained over five hundred donated volumes. North of the office and library is the reception hall, 11 × 4.25 meters in size, designed to welcome domestic and foreign dignitaries visiting the mausoleum. Also in the northwestern corner of the garden, a dignified guesthouse was built, consisting of four rooms, furnished with carpets, tables, chairs, bookcases, lamps, beds, bathrooms, and heaters.

Portraits and Publications

In October 1962 (Mehr 1341), a meeting was convened by the Society for National Heritage with Dr. Ṣedīq, Dr. Reżāzāda Shafaq, Engineer Houshang Seyhoun, Akbar Tajvīdī (Deputy of the Faculty of Decorative Arts), Shīrzād (representing Radio Publications), and members of the Society’s board. The purpose was to commission a portrait of ʿUmar Khayyām, similar to the approved portraits of Saʿdī, Ferdowsī, and Avicenna, and to prepare a sculptural likeness. It was also proposed that a portrait of Edward FitzGerald, the English poet and the most renowned translator of Khayyām’s quatrains, be painted for installation in the library hall adjacent to Khayyām’s mausoleum. During the meeting, biographical material, contemporary accounts, and studies of Khayyām’s life and works were reviewed, and it was agreed that further research should be pursued. Ultimately, the commission for Khayyām’s portrait was entrusted to Master Moḥammad-ʿAlī Heydarīān. On the basis of extensive study, he first prepared a charcoal sketch, which, upon approval by the Society, was executed as a full oil painting. Heydarīān also produced the portrait of FitzGerald. Later, in 1970 (1349 A.H. Solar), a marble bust of ʿUmar Khayyām was commissioned from Master Abū al-Ḥasan Ṣeddīqī in Rome by the Society for National Heritage. Carved from a single block of white marble, it was installed at the northern entrance avenue to the mausoleum, in the southern garden of the guesthouse. Concurrently with and following the construction of the mausoleum, the Society published a series of works—both Khayyām’s own writings and scholarly studies about him—thus consolidating the cultural and literary significance of the project.

مرجع عکس‌ها: کتاب هوشنگ سیحون (معمار، هنرمند، نقاش)

تالیف: شهریار خانی‌زاد