In Balkh, in 1112-13, Nizami heard Omar make a prophecy about his place of burial, that his grave "would be where flowers in the springtime would shed their petals over his dust".

[1]: 661 The tomb itself survived various calamities; including several major earthquakes (Nishapur being on a seismic fault-line),[2]: 68  raids by some Turkic tribes, and the Mongol invasion.

According to Percy Sykes, who visited the poet's tomb twice, the saint's mortuary shrine contained a formal Persian garden with cobbled paths.

[4]: 283  Some pilgrims to Omar's grave, such as the Iranologist, A. V. Williams Jackson who visited it in 1911, described his tomb as a simple case made of brick and cement with no inscription.

He also paid homage to Khayyam's geometric work with a star-shaped feature on the tomb, opening to the sky above Nishapur and symbolizing the celestial expanse.