Cleric’s call to demolish Omar Khayyam monument sparks outrage

A hardline cleric’s call to demolish the monument of Persian poet and scientist Omar Khayyam sparked widespread backlash this week, with many seeing it as an assault on Iran’s national identity by religious hardliners.

The controversy erupted after a preacher, identified only by his last name, Robati, claimed in a sermon that Khayyam’s monument was deliberately built to overshadow an adjacent Shia shrine where he was speaking. His comments came just a day after large crowds gathered at the mausoleum in Neyshabur on March 21 to celebrate Nowruz, the Persian New Year. Some in the crowd also chanted anti-government and pro-monarchy slogans in favor of the last ruling dynasty, including “Reza Shah, bless your soul.”

The cleric was initially mistaken for the Friday prayer leader of Neyshabur, but later reports clarified that he was a local preacher speaking at the shrine of 9th-century Shia saint Muhammad ibn-e Husayn, known as Emamzadeh Mahruq.

The remarks sparked swift condemnations, with critics accusing hardliners of attempting to erase Iran’s historical and cultural heritage. “Destroying historical memory by demolishing national symbols is one of the most dangerous and costly acts of ignorance that threaten a country’s national security,” wrote academic and political analyst Mehdi Motaharnia on X.

Amid the growing backlash, several government officials, including the Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Abbas Salehi, the President’s Executive Deputy Jafar Ghaempanah, and prominent reformist politician Azar Mansoori, criticized the attack on national symbols and warned about its consequences.

“Juxtaposing religious symbols with Iran’s national and historical heritage, whoever it benefits, is a massive mistake,” Mansoori posted on X.

Khayyam is celebrated not only for his philosophical quatrains (rubaʿiyat), remarkably secular for their time, but also for his contributions to mathematics, astronomy, and the development of the Jalali calendar, which remains Iran’s official calendar. His poetry, popularized in the West through Edward FitzGerald’s 19th-century translations, has earned him global recognition, while his scientific achievements have left a lasting impact. In Iran, his legacy is deeply ingrained in the culture, with many knowing at least a few of his verses by heart.

Thousands of Iranians flocked to the monuments of Iran's national poets Omar Khayyam in Neyshabur, Ferdowsi in Mashhad, and Hafiz in Shiraz, as well as historical sites such as Persepolis, on March 21 to celebrate the Persian New Year with music and dancing. At some gatherings, people also chanted anti-government slogans.

In the wake of the Nowruz celebrations, authorities in Khorasan-e Razavi Province shut down the mausoleums of both Khayyam and Ferdowsi, Iran’s other literary giant, citing the coincidence with Shia mourning days.

There was a dispute over the boundaries of Khayyam’s mausoleum and the adjacent shrine between the Religious Endowments Organization and the Cultural Heritage Organization for several decades.

The current monument, designed by renowned architect Hooshang Seyhoun, was inaugurated in the 1960s under the Shah. Khayyam was originally buried in a small structure beside the shrine in 1131, his bones were exhumed and reburied in the new monument built at a distance from the shrine.

The Shia shrine is several centuries old. An older shrine on the site is believed to have been destroyed during the Mogul invasion of Iran in the 13th century. The current building is believed to be from the 16th century. Many additions, including the tile work, date from later periods.