Ulugh Beg

Ulugh Beg was a Timurid sultan who ruled over Transoxiana in Central Asia during the 15th century. Unlike many conquering rulers of his era, he was a devout scholar, mathematician, and astronomer rather than a military leader.

Ulugh Beg constructed a massive, state-of-the-art astronomical observatory in Samarkand, located in modern-day Uzbekistan. Completed around 1429, it featured a giant, incredibly precise marble sextant built directly into the ground.

He is most famous for compiling the "Zij-i-Sultani," a comprehensive star catalog that recorded the precise positions of 994 stars. His calculations were so accurate that they remained the most precise star catalog for over 200 years.

Ulugh Beg was tragically assassinated in 1449 during a pilgrimage to Mecca. He was killed on the orders of his own son, Abd al-Latif, who had rebelled against his father's rule following a devastating military defeat.