. Each petal in this painting represents a letter of the Persian alphabet (starting from top to bottom). There are a total of 32 letters, stemming from a rich red background (red is common in Persian Rugs). Persian language is one of the world's oldest languages still in use today, and is known to have one of the most powerful literary traditions, with formidable Persian poets such as Ferdowsi, Hafez, Attar, Saadi, Nezami, Roudaki, Rumi and Sanai. The painting is dedicated to Omar Khayyam, a Persian philosopher, poet, mathematician and astronomer of the 11th century. ©2008