Based in Iran*s second largest city, Mashhad, Khayyam University was founded in 1992 in response to local demand for higher education.
The university has faculties of physical education, engineering, basic science, literature and humanities and the college of arts and architecture. They are spread across two campuses.
The original campus is the Shahrak Gharb Mashhad campus on Fallahi Boulevard. The newer Elahiyeh Mashhad campus has an engineering focus.
Specialist centres include the robotics centre whose projects have included an octopus motion simulation robot, home assistant robots and plans to create an artificial arm.
Other centres focus on entrepreneurship and industry, information and computers and statistics.
The Centre for Foreign Languages has expanded its original remit of English instruction by adding French. The university also has an observatory and a modern prayer hall.