There are many wonders in Samarkand, both architectural and scientific. One of them is the medieval Ulugh Beg Observatory. A famous educated ruler, Ulugh Beg, made the city one of the most cultured capitals of the Middle Ages.

When Ulugh Beg was a child, renowned teachers were involved in his education: famous poets, scientists, philosophers, astronomers, and mathematicians. They cultivated in the future ruler a love of science and art. When Ulugh Beg came to power, he strengthened the country and did everything to develop education and culture.

The ruler’s researches were highly valued all over the world. In 1665, after his death, Ulugh Beg’s works on astronomy were published in Oxford, and, for a long time, they were considered the most accurate in Europe. The medieval scientist was able to perform all the necessary calculations in his unique observatory, which he built in Samarkand in the 1420s.

It was a very beautiful and elegant building from the outside. Inside, the observatory had an extraordinary architecture: a cube inscribed in a circle, special mechanisms that set various optical instruments for observation in motion. Almost all the furniture, the staircases, and even the walls were part of a larger device, the main purpose of which was to allow people to observe the sky and run their calculations. At that time, it was the top engineering idea, embodied in reality.

Unfortunately, in 1449, this great scientist and the fair-minded ruler was killed by ruthless conspirators who wanted to take his power. More than 20 years after his death, students studied at the observatory, exploring the sky and discovering the universe. But over time, after the death of the last caretaker, the observatory was closed. The citizens of the impoverished city began to gradually dismantle the famous science station brick by brick to build their homes.

Fortunately, the old building has been successfully preserved and restored. Now, it is one of the main sights of Samarkand.