15世纪画家 · Public domain
15th century · 1394–1449
Ulugh Beg
Ulugh Beg · Uzbekistan
Timurid ruler and astronomer
Grandson of Timur. From 1417 to 1420 he built a madrasa on Samarkand's Registan Square and invited astronomers and mathematicians from across the Islamic world to teach there; from 1424 to 1429 he built the Ulugh Beg Observatory, and many scholars regard him as the most important observational astronomer of the 15th century. He neglected affairs of state and in 1449 was overthrown and killed by his own son.
Where the story happened
Places connected with this person
History · Gur-e-Amir, Samarkand
A tomb built for a grandson became the resting place of three generations
In 1403 Timur's heir and favourite grandson, Muhammad Sultan, died suddenly, and Timur ordered a mausoleum built for him. Two years later Timur himself was buried here, and later his sons Shah Rukh and Miran Shah and his grandson Ulugh Beg were buried here too. During his reign Ulugh Beg placed a single block of dark-green jade on his grandfather's tomb.
History · Registan Square, Samarkand
The astronomer king's madrasa
Between 1417 and 1420 Timur's grandson Ulugh Beg built a madrasa on the Registan, inviting astronomers and mathematicians from across the Islamic world to teach there; between 1424 and 1429 he built an observatory and compiled a star catalogue. Devoted to learning and neglectful of government, he was overthrown and killed by his son Abdal-Latif in 1449. The square's other two madrasas were built two centuries later, in the 17th century.
