Ulugbek

Ulugh Beg, also spelled Ulugbek, was a Timurid ruler, mathematician, and astronomer of the early 15th century. Born in 1394, he was the grandson of Timur and governed Samarkand as part of the Timurid dynasty. He promoted science and learning, attracting scholars and sponsoring astronomical and mathematical studies.

In the 1420s, Ulugh Beg built the Ulugh Beg Observatory in Samarkand, one of the largest and most advanced astronomical facilities of its era. It housed a large mural sextant and instruments used to measure celestial positions with unprecedented precision in the Islamic world. He directed the construction of the observatory and led observational campaigns.

His major scholarly contribution was the Zij-i-Sultani, an astronomical handbook completed around 1427. It presented a comprehensive star catalog with about 1,000 entries and tables for celestial coordinates, improving upon earlier Islamic works and influencing later astronomy across the region.

Ulugh Beg also established a scholarly center in Samarkand that functioned as a school for astronomers and mathematicians. His patronage helped transmit Persian and Central Asian astronomical knowledge to later generations, including scholars who traveled from other parts of the Muslim world.

Ulugh Beg's death occurred in 1449 during a period of political turbulence in the Timurid realm; he was killed in Samarkand as power struggles unfolded. After his death, the observatory fell into disuse, though his work remained influential in the centuries that followed.