Ulugh Beg was the grandson of Timor, a warrior emperor. He was born in Sultanya. After taking the charge of several cities at the age of ten, he went on to become the governor of Kharasan. Under the guidance of his mentor, he expanded the territory of his state through various military expeditions. However defeat at the hands of Uzbeks marked a momentary halt to his military zest. This was followed by a fundamental change in his life. His interest shifted from warfare to creative pursuits. He became adept in Mathematics, Astronomy, Astrology and the knowledge of History. His main accomplishment included building a prestigious Madrasa - an educational institute, an exclusive observatory, which contained a grand library mainly pertaining to science and the compilation of the star catalogue, Zij-e-Sultani. Moreover he worked on latitude, calendar calculations, planetary movements for which he designed some special instruments. He also did a remarkable work in the field of Mathematics. He was tragically assassinated on the orders of his son. His grave was found in Amir Timor’s tomb in 1908.

In an age full of turmoil, political chaos and excruciating wars, there emerged a man who opened new vistas of knowledge, explorations and insights into the field of Astronomy, which then was one of the most unsought-for vocations. This man, whose name was Ulugh Beg found his way through sheer joys of childhood and inexorable youth, to a phase of life where seduced by the charms of heavens, he relentlessly pursued his obsession to unveil the secrets which lay hidden in the celestial bodies. A boy so pampered by the undwindling care of his grandfather, unflagging love of his father and the royal comforts, was hardly expected to embellish the name of his dynasty by being an unforgettable figure in the history of Astronomy.

Ulugh Beg struck me as an obvious choice for this essay by virtue of which the great man’s great achievements could be acknowledged. This paper aims at unfolding a few important details of his life, which show that Ulugh Beg, despite his eventful childhood and turbulent youth, was not distracted from the path, destiny had ordained for him. An account of his achievements with regard to Astronomy and Mathematics is also a focal point of this research paper.

Biography

Shahrukh, Timor’s son, was seventeen when his wife Gohar Shad gave birth to a child who would later prove to be the greatest astronomer of the fifteenth century. It was probably the queen Saray-Mulk Khanum in whose care Ulugh Beg was given.

Grandson of Timorlane, born in the city of ‘Sultanya’ on 22 March 1394, Ulugh Beg’s original name was ‘Muhammad Targhai’. "Ulugh Beg" was his appellation meaning ‘The Great Prince’. During Timor’s time he was given this appellation.

His grandfather, on his birth, showed his happiness by sparing a conquered city and also relieving the citizens from the taxes, he already had decided to impose.

Ulugh Beg was five when he saw the return of his victorious grandfather from India.

Timor always took a great care of his grandson and Ulugh Beg used to travel with his grandfather’s army. It was also young Ulugh Beg’s duty, as well as other young Timoris, to take the letters from the hands of the ambassadors and to carry them to Timor in his court. One of the celebrations of his victories, Timor combined the wedding ceremonies of five of his grandsons, ranging in age from 9 years to 17 years. A ten year old Ulugh Beg was among the newly wed lads too.

The same year he was given the charge of Tashkent, Sayram, Yangi (now Auliya-ata), Ashpara and the whole of Mughlistan up to the Chinese border, according to V.V. Barthold (1963). Shah Malik was appointed as a mentor to guide him through the perils of politics. Ulugh Beg was 11 when Timor died. Before 1406, Shahrukh appointed Ulugh Beg the prince of Shapurgan and Andkhoy. He was further appointed the governor of Kharasan. After defeating Mirza Omer on 18 April 1407, Ulugh Beg further expanded the territory of his state including Mazandaran. In 1409, Shahrukh made him the governor of Samarqand. In 1411 Ulugh Beg himself left the tutelage of Shah Malik.

Ulugh Beg had a great regard for his father. As a ruler, he ordered for currency coins to be released that carried Shahrukh’s name, as an acknowledgement of his efforts for his son and the state. The first time his own name found its place on the coins was in 1448 after a year his father had died.

His Great love for his father did not stop him from taking big decisions, the proof of which was Mughlistan expedition to which his father did not agree. A few years after his tremendous success in Mughlistan in 1414, he had to confront defeat at the hands of Uzbek army in 1427, which put an end to his military zest till the death of his father.

However his creative passion led him to explore the fields of Astronomy and Mathematics. He was also interested in Poetry and History. He also did some correspondence on literary subjects with Baysunqar and Ibrahim. He was a Hafiz, someone who can recite the Quran all by heart.

Ulugh Beg had a passion for hunting. He always kept a list of his preys. Once that book with the list got lost but Ulugh Beg was able to rewrite the whole list all by his memory. When the list was found back, there were very few missed entries found in the original. . This shows his extraordinary memory, an inheritance perhaps from his grandfather.

Ulugh Beg was not radical about his religion. Use of wine was not uncommon with him, something strictly prohibited in Islam but on the other hand he had a great regard for Islamic scholars as he changed some of his decisions on their suggestions.

Later he established a Madrasa (a seat of learning) from which several students profited. His special interest in Astronomy made him built an observatory dedicated to the research projects. This observatory contained a huge library, which had some of the most rare manuscripts and books. His famous work, known as Zijj-e-Sultani was compiled in this observatory.

Ulugh Beg was a great Scientist but not an ideal statesman. More often than not he relied on his father’s advices about the statecraft. But after the death of his Father in 1447, he was left alone to make his own decisions. He had a firm belief in Astrology and as some sources relate he did a horoscope cast of his son Abdul Latif and got to know that he will be killed by his own son. So he immediately exiled him. Abdul Latif gathered an army and attacked his father’s country. Ulugh Beg was finally killed by his son’s order.

Ali Kudschi, whom Ulugh Beg used to call as ‘son’ was his only student alive at his death. Later he became the director of Ulugh Beg’s Observatory. After the death of Ulugh Beg, Kudschi took some books out of the library and saved his work from burning.

Scientific work

Ulugh Beg’s early life does not show a certain turn that triggered his passion for Sciences. Shah Malik was his tutor but more in the matters of war and statecraft. There is no evidence recording an exceptional education in childhood. Probably the Persian scholars in his country influenced him. The sight of the remains of an observatory in Maragha, constructed by another famous astronomer Nasir ud-Din Tusi (1201-1274), is believed to be a fascinating source of inspiration for Ulugh Beg.

Madrasa

Although a young boy, Ulugh Beg received a profound impression from this experience. When he came to power he first established a Madrasa where Astronomy was taught as a major subject.

The Building

ENTRANCE OF THE MADRASA

The Madrasa was built from 1417 to 1420. We do not know the name of the architect but it was a splendid building. It had two stories, with four lofty domes and a minaret at each corner. Every room was divided into two cubicles for two students. This building was so enduring that it still stands while other Madrasas have perished without a trace.

The Faculty

There were great scientists also working as teachers in the institute. Ulugh Beg personally interviewed them and appointed around 60 worthy scientists. Among them were famous Al- Kashi (About 1380-June 1429) and Qadi Zada Rumi (1364-1436). Qadi Zada was also Ulugh Beg’s teacher and the first ever director of his observatory.

One of the unique things about this institute was the syllabus, which was quite different from the other institutes of its time. The syllabus in other Madrasas was religion oriented whereas in Ulugh Beg’s Madrasa it was designed to impart a scientific approach to the students.

Referring to Warifi, Barthold (1963) relates that Maulana Muhammad Khwafi was the first Mudarris (Professor) to be appointed by Ulugh Beg for the Madrasa. It was Khwafi who delivered the first lecture on the inauguration day.

After Ulugh Beg’s death, the Madrasa continued its work but slowly it declined and in the beginning of the eighteenth century its upper story was destroyed by rebels.

Observatory

One of the most outstanding works he did was building a marvelous observatory. According to one of Al Kashi’s letters, 1420 was the year when its construction started in Samarqand. Later it proved to be the most productive Islamic observatory due to the marvelous work carried out there.

The Building

The observatory was in a circular shape. It had three stories. It was over 50 meters in diameter and 35 meters high.

After Ulugh Beg the observatory was neglected and in the beginning of the 16^th century, it was in ruins.

The observatory’s remains do not give a clue about the arrangements made there. Barthold (1963) refers to a personal letter from an archeologist Uyatkin, in which it was stated that "Further excavations did not help to establish the organization of the observatory"

The Library

The observatory also had a library that carried a lot of priceless books. There were six books by Al- Khwarzmi, which Ulugh Beg brought from Bait-ul-Hikma or "House of Wisdom", from Baghdad. Also twelve books by Avicenna sixteen by Al Farabi and some by Al Biruni, who’s "Al Kanoon" was one of his favorites. There were other books by Abu’l Wafa, Farghani, Nasir ud Din Tusi and Qadi Zada. Ulugh Beg also invited a Chinese to translate three books on Astronomy from Chinese. He also invited an Indian to translate the famous book of Indian Astronomy Sedhanat. Unfortunately the Indian died before the completion. The payment by Ulugh Beg in Gold to both of them shows the great interest of Ulugh Beg in knowing the Astronomical work done in the other parts of the world.

Instruments

The observatory contained many instruments like Quadrants and Astrolabes but its main instrument was a huge "Fakhri Sextant" made of marble. It was the largest Meridian

instrument ever built. It was 40.04 meters in radius. On it, there were points for the measurement, where a degree was measured as 70.2 centimeters, 1 minute as almost 12, millimeters, 5 seconds as 1 millimeter and 2 seconds as 0.4 millimeters. It was ornamented with the signs of Zodiac. To fix it, a part of the ground had to be gouged off.

Other instruments, made of wood and metal, included Parallactical, Lineals, Equinoctial and Solostitial Armillary Spheres of 1 meter in size. Very often this observatory was used for holding scientific conferences as well.

Scientific Achievements

All of the work done in the observatory was not only Ulugh Beg’s efforts but it was a joint effort with his colleges. The observatory provided a platform to the scholars to make further explorations in the field of Astronomy.

Latitude

Ulugh Beg found the latitude of Samarqand as 39 Degree 37 Minutes and 33 Seconds which was remarkably close to the original value which is 38 Degree 40 Minutes and 30 seconds. The difference is 1 Degree 3 minutes and 3 seconds.

Calendar

Ulugh Beg also worked on Calendar calculations. His calculations measured a year in 365 Days 5 hours 49 Minutes and 15 seconds. This has an error of merely 58 seconds.

Planetary work

He studied the yearly movements of the five ‘naked eye’ planets and produced some remarkable values. A comparison of these values to the modern day values are given below:

As one can see that the difference in each value is a minor one except for Mercury. It is because Mercury is always very close to the sun, having a maximum of 28 degree western elongation. So it is hard to observe it accurately with the naked eye in comparison to other planets.

These observations were carried out, with an unflinching perseverance from 1420 to 1437.

After Ulugh Beg’s death his observatory had a bleak future. His only pupil Ali Kudschi left Samarqand and died in Constantinople in 1474.

Star Catalogue

The most important work of Ulugh Beg’s observatory was the compilation of a star catalogue, which was the only one after Ptolemy’s catalogue. It was called Zij-i-Sultani. This catalogue contained all the stars of Ptolemy. The total numbers vary from one source to another, ranging from 992 to 1018 or 1022. It also included all the naked eye Planets, Sun and Moon.

In the introduction of the star catalogue, Ulugh Beg states that he especially relied upon Al Sufi’s work. But then his observation revealed that the actual values are different from Al Sufi’s values. So he revised all those values himself. But for those stars, which cannot be seen from Samarqand, he simply added a precession constant of 1 degree for 70 years for the year 1437.

Ulugh Beg’s catalogue has four parts:

1. Description of different systems of time reckoning
2. Practical Methods of observations and their use.
3. Apparent motion of the Sun, Moon and Planets
4. Astrology

All of his work is based on Geocentric system.

Although his catalogue was the most important of the Islamic orient but remained unknown in Europe until mid 17^th century so it did not have an impact in Europe. But the work done centuries ago still could help. One example came in 1977 when Shcheglov used Ulugh Beg’s large Meridian instrument for a study of continental drift.

Mathematics

A letter of Al Kashi shows that Ulugh Beg had exceptional abilities in Mathematics, especially the faculty to do complicated calculations in his mind. According to David A. King (1986), "The trigonometric tables in the Zij are accurate to five sexagesimal places."

His compilations of Sines and Tangents at 1-degree intervals are accurate to eight decimal places.

His value of sin 1 is:

0.017452406437283571

And the correct approximation is:

0.017452406437283512820

This is correct to 16 decimal places.

In his trigonometric work, Ulugh Beg has given the values of the Sines and Tangents, of 45 degree for every minute and from 45 degree to 90 degree for every five minutes. Values of Cotangents are given for every degree. Following are some of these values:

Conclusion

Although Ulugh Beg’s father and grandfather spent all their lives in conquering lands but Ulugh Beg had a genuine love for knowledge and wanted to devote his life to partake of creative flow which characterizes the distinctive nature of man. He would not bow down to accepting the validity of any principle without launching an investigation by himself. It was not unusual that scientists at Samarqand would discuss the scientific results among them.

Unfortunately he got himself in such a situation where he could not prove himself to be a wise ruler. Had he not been murdered, with the most accurate instruments of his time the world would have manifestly profited by the immense creative urge, which marked Ulugh Beg’s life and works from the inception to the upshot.

Mentioning his Library as his greatest treasure, talking to one of his students Ali Kudschi, he once said, "I like my library more than anything in the world."

Ulugh Beg was the last "Real Astronomer" of the Muslim Astronomy. In 1908, archeologist V.L. Uyatkin found his grave in the tomb of Timor. He was buried in those clothes he was murdered, in an Islamic tradition for Martyr.

Ulugh Beg’s Skull was retrieved in 1941.

His likeness was constructed from his remains by the sculptor M.M. Gerasimov.