In Uzbekistan, there is a large and beautiful city of Samarkand, which is often also called an open-air museum. And this is not at all accidental. In the past, this settlement was one of the most powerful religious, political, cultural and scientific centers of Asia. Once the scientists and statesmen who lived on its territory, made unique discoveries here and built magnificent structures. Especially great contribution to science was made by the ruler Mohammed Taragay, better known as Ulugbek. The observatory built by him is considered one of the main attractions of the city. It represents a rich historical and cultural heritage.
A little bit about the legendary ruler
Muhammad Taragay was the grandson of the great Amir Timur. From early childhood, he showed great interest in various sciences and a huge desire for knowledge. The boy was not a conqueror by nature, like his illustrious grandfather - Tamerlan. The future ruler of Samarkand was trained by the best teachers of those times. Teachers were able to instill in him a love of science and art.
Being very young, he went with his grandfather on another conquest. Traveling, I saw the extraordinary construction of Ulugbek. The observatory, erected by Azerbaijani scientists, conquered the boy with its architecture and beauty. We can say that it was at that moment in the heart of little Muhammad Taragay that the dream of his own scientific center of the same kind settled. After some time, Ulugbek became the ruler of Maverannahr, the capital of which was Samarkand. He began to realize his long-standing plans.
The story of a dream of a lifetime
The construction of the structure began in 1420. Work on its construction was carried out for about three years. Scientists and astronomers made a huge contribution to the development of the building plan, due to which, as a result, the Ulugbek Samarkand Observatory was an ideal device designed to observe various non-standard and original space bodies. It consisted of three floors and had the shape of a cylinder. This building was striking in its beauty and originality, since its architecture was not characteristic of the traditional buildings of the medieval East. This majestic structure contained within its walls a grand angle meter, the radius of which is more than 40 m. Thanks to this device, it was possible to measure the height of the celestial bodies during their passage through the celestial meridian.
On the territory of this scientific center, Ulugbek tried to spend a lot of his free time. The observatory became his second home. He tried by his example to inspire scientists to new discoveries, and was also the supervisor of studies in almost all works and studies. But the constant preoccupation with the affairs of the state deprived the ruler of a lot of time and energy, so he was sometimes visited by thoughts about closing the scientific center. Fortunately, one of the beginning astronomers was able to convince him and influence the fact that Ulugbek changed his mind. The observatory then earned with new power. Muhammad Taragay created thanks to this unique construction many of his scientific works. And went down in history as a talented astronomer, researcher and mathematician.
Further fate
Although Ulugbek proved himself to be a humane and fair ruler, unfortunately, not everyone liked his political structure. Many were inclined to believe that he devotes more of his time to science and has little interest in public affairs. Therefore, in 1449, his son Abd Latif, who entered into an insidious conspiracy with his father’s opponents, killed Muhammad Taragay and seized power.
Despite such tragic events, the Ulugbek Observatory continued to function for the next twenty years. But soon the persecution of scientists began, which forced them to leave not only this scientific center, but also Samarkand. The building itself, erected by the great explorer and ruler, remained abandoned for a long time. In the sixteenth century, the Ulugbek Observatory was dismantled almost to the base, and then only the foundation remained from it.
Excavations of the last century
At the beginning of the 20th century, archaeologist and researcher L.V. Vyatkin for a long time could not find the place where this scientific center once stood. The remains of an ancient building were discovered thanks to one document, which was donated to these lands and was dated to the seventeenth century. The last stage of excavation was carried out in 1948. During the work, fragments of the building where the Ulugbek Observatory was once located (Uzbekistan) were discovered. Also, the famous goniometer, which was mentioned above, was found. This device is perfectly preserved in the underground part of the structure. Now he is an exhibit in the cultural institution of Samarkand.
Memory
In the sixties of the last century, a museum was opened not far from the location of this legendary medieval scientific center. He was named after Ulugbek. The interior of the building is decorated with various frescoes, which depict moments from the life of the great ruler and astronomer. The exposition consists of photographs taken during excavations, as well as ancient astronomical instruments and tables of heavenly bodies. In 2010, a monument was erected near the museum in honor of Muhammad Taragay.
