Tamam Shud case facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
The Somerton Man
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A plaster cast of the Somerton Man's head and chest taken by the police in 1949
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| Born | c. 1905 |
| Died | 1 December 1948 |
| Resting place | West Terrace Cemetery, Adelaide, South Australia |
| Other names | Unknown Man (police terminology), Somerton Man |
| Known for | Mysterious death |
The Tamam Shud case, also known as the Mystery of the Somerton Man, is an unsolved case of an unidentified man found dead at 6:30 am, 1 December 1948, on Somerton beach, Glenelg, just south of Adelaide, South Australia.
It is named after the Persian phrase tamám shud, meaning "ended" or "finished", printed on a scrap of paper found months later in the fob pocket of the man's trousers.
The scrap had been torn from the final page of a copy of Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, authored by 12th-century poet Omar Khayyám. Tamam was misspelt as Taman in many early reports and this error.
Images for kids
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Suitcase and effects, found at Adelaide railway station. From left to right are detectives Dave Bartlett, Lionel Leane, and Len Brown
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The handwriting found in the back of a book of the Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám. The text is presumed to be some sort of code.
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Burial of the Somerton Man on 14 June 1949. By his grave site is Salvation Army Captain Em Webb, leading the prayers, attended by reporters and police.
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The simple burial site of the Unknown Man at the West Terrace Cemetery in Adelaide
See also
In Spanish: Caso Tamam Shud para niños
