Memo, which was built by Ulugbek, - Observatory (Samarkand, Uzbekistan): description, history and interesting facts

In Uzbekistan there is a large and beautiful city of Samarkand, which is often called an open-air museum. And this is not accidental at all. In the past, this settlement was one of the most powerful religious, political, cultural and scientific centers of Asia. Once scientists and statesmen who lived on its territory, made here unique discoveries and built magnificent buildings. Especially great contribution to science was made by the ruler Muhammad Taragai, better known as Ulugbek. The observatory, erected by him, is considered one of the main sights of the city. It is a rich historical and cultural heritage.

A little about the legendary ruler

Muhammad Taragai was a grandson to the great Amir Timur. From his earliest childhood, he showed great interest in various sciences and a great desire for knowledge. The boy was not by nature a conqueror, as his illustrious grandfather - Tamerlane. Teaching of the future ruler of Samarkand was carried out by the best teachers of those times. Teachers could instill in him a love of science and art.

Being very young, he went with his grandfather on another aggressive campaign. Traveling, I saw an extraordinary structure Ulugbek. The observatory, erected by the scientists of Azerbaijan, conquered the boy with its architecture and beauty. It can be said that it was at that moment in the heart of little Muhammad Taragai that a dream of his own same scientific center settled. After a while Ulugbek became ruler of Maverannahr, whose capital was Samarkand. He began to translate into reality his old plans.

The history of making a dream of a lifetime

The construction of the structure began in 1420. Work on its erection was conducted for about three years. The scientists and astronomers made a huge contribution to the development of the building plan, as a result of which the Samarkand observatory of Ulugbek 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 with its beauty and originality, as its architecture was not typical of the traditional buildings of the medieval East. This magnificent structure housed a grandiose goniometer in its walls, 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 tried to spend a lot of his free time Ulugbek. The Observatory became his second home for him. He tried to inspire scientists to new discoveries as an example, and also was a scientific leader in practically all works and studies. But the constant employment by the affairs of the state robbed the ruler of many forces and time, so he was sometimes visited by thoughts about the closure of the scientific center. Fortunately, one of the beginning astronomers was able to convince him and to influence the change of his decision Ulugbek. The observatory after that earned with a new power. Muhammad Taragay created a lot of his scientific works thanks to this unique construction. And went down in history as a talented astronomer, researcher and mathematician.

The further destiny

Although Ulugbek showed himself as a humane and just ruler, unfortunately, not everyone liked his political way. Many people were inclined to think that he devotes more time to science and does not deal much with public affairs. Therefore, in 1449 his son Abd Latif, who entered into an insidious plot with his father's opponents, killed Muhammad Taragai and seized power.

Despite such tragic events, the observatory of Ulugbek 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 a great explorer and ruler, remained abandoned for a long time. In the sixteenth century, the observatory of Ulugbek was dismantled almost to the ground, and then from it only the foundation remained.

Excavations of the last century

At the beginning of the XX century, the archaeologist and researcher L. V. Vyatkin for a long time could not find the place where this scientific center once stood. The remains of the ancient structure were discovered due to one document, which was donative for these lands and was dated by the seventeenth century. The last stage of the excavation was carried out in 1948. During the works, fragments of the building were found, where once the observatory of Ulugbek (Uzbekistan) was located. Also, the famous goniometer, which was mentioned above, was found. This device is ideally preserved in the underground part of the structure. Now it is an exhibit in the cultural institution of Samarkand.

Memory

In the sixties of the last century, near the location of this legendary medieval scientific center, a museum was opened. He was named after Ulugbek. The interior of the building is decorated with various frescoes, which depict the moments from the life of the great ruler and astronomer. The exposition consists of photographs taken at excavations, as well as old astronomical instruments and tables of heavenly bodies. In 2010, near the museum was erected a monument in honor of Muhammad Taragay.

Interesting Facts

It turns out that the most important scientific work of Ulugbek's whole life was published after his death. This became possible only because one of the astronomers managed to take him out of Samarkand when the scientists were persecuted. Therefore, the "New Hurricane Astronomical Table" was published in Istanbul and continued to be unique for many years unique in its kind. It is thanks to this catalog that mankind has learned that the star year consists of 365 days and 6 hours.

Ulugbek Observatory (Samarkand, Uzbekistan) is a majestic structure, within its walls many conclusions have been made and researches have been made, which have become an outstanding contribution to the treasury of human knowledge about astronomy.