ألوغ بك
ألوغ بك
Ulugh Beg, son of Shah Rukh and grandson of Timur, sovereign of Samarqand for over thirty years — unique in his age in the rational sciences, astronomy and geometry, yet fully versed in Hanafi fiqh, usul, Arabic, history and the days of men. He built the great Samarqand observatory, drawing astronomers from every quarter on lavish stipends; told that the people said he had not memorised the Qur'an, he memorised it in under six months. His son Abd al-Latif rebelled, broke him, took Samarqand, then slew his brother Abd al-Aziz in cold blood before his father's eyes 1.
At a glance
- Era
- The Mongol and Post-Mongol Era
- Region
- Persia & Central Asia
- Review
- Draft Completeness 2/5 · Help complete it
Overview
Learning and the observatory
He built a great observatory at Samarqand, completed in the year of his death. He gathered astronomers and geometers from the lands and paid them generous salaries. Ibn al-Imad also mentions his competence in Hanafi jurisprudence, the principles of law, rhetoric, eloquence, Arabic and history 2.
His end
Ibn al-Imad reports that his son Abd al-Latif rebelled against him. The two armies met, and some of Ulugh Beg's amirs fled to the son, and Ulugh Beg was defeated. Abd al-Latif took Samarqand, and killed his brother Abd al-Aziz in the presence of their father 2.
Sources
- Shadharat al-Dhahab — Ibn al-Imad al-Hanbali, p. 275-277
- Shadharat al-Dhahab — Ibn al-Imad al-Hanbali, p.275-277
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “ألوغ بك”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/person/ulugh-beg/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-17.