Ulugh-beg: Star-Gazer in Samarkand
Hilda Hookham introduces an astronomer prince who was a grandson of Tamburlaine.
Five centuries before the launching pads of central Asia began sending their probes into outer space, a prince of Samarkand was calculating the position of the stars from his observatory on a hill overlooking the deserts that surrounded his oasis capital.
The astronomical tables he constructed were extensively used by the first English Astronomer Royal, John Flamsteed, working three centuries later in the new Greenwich Observatory.
The astronomer prince of Samarkand was Ulugh-beg (1394-1449), favourite grandson of Tamburlaine, the lame conqueror, described by Marlowe as ‘the scourge of God and terror of the world’. Tamburlaine was an upholder of Mongol aggressive traditions, and he intended for his grandson not a life of science but that of a nomad ruler.
To continue reading this article you need to purchase a subscription, available from only £5.
Start my trial subscription now
If you have already purchased access, or are a print & archive subscriber, please ensure you are logged in.
Please email digital@historytoday.com if you have any problems.
