Ulugh Beg Observatory, Astronomical observatory and museum in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
The observatory features a cylindrical structure measuring 46 meters in diameter with a 40-meter-high meridian arc for celestial measurements.
Built in the 1420s by Timurid ruler Ulugh Beg, the observatory operated until 1449 when religious groups destroyed it, leaving only underground sections intact.
Scientists at this institution created a catalog documenting 1,018 stars and their positions before the invention of telescopes in the fifteenth century.
The museum, established in 1970, displays reproductions of Arabic manuscripts, star charts, and astronomical instruments from the medieval period.
The observatory's astronomers calculated the length of the year as 365 days, 6 hours, 10 minutes, and 8 seconds using their advanced measurement tools.
Location: Samarkand
Inception: 1420
Founders: Ulugh Beg
Part of: Samarkand – Crossroad of Cultures
GPS coordinates: 39.67472,67.00556
Latest update: May 27, 2025 09:50
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