Latest / The Story of Uzbekistan: Silk Road Kingdoms and Soviet Legacy — Fexingo History
Ulugh Beg's Observatory: The Sultan Who Measured the Stars
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the life and legacy of Ulugh Beg, the Timurid ruler and astronomer who built a giant observatory in Samarkand in the 1420s. They discuss how Ulugh Beg, grandson of Amir Timur, prioritized science over conquest, assembling scholars like Al-Kashi and Ali Qushji to create the most accurate star catalogue since Hipparchus. The episode details the construction of the Fakhri sextant, a massive arc embedded in a hillside trench, and how it was used to measure celestial positions with unprecedented precision. Lucas explains the political tensions that led to…
The skinny
The skinny isn't ready yet — notes appear once the transcript is processed.