Yusupova Zarina Rustamovna
Mirzo Ulugbek Scientific and Literary Legacy
By: Yusupova Zarina Rustamovna
Annotation: This article discusses the activities of Ulugbek, his scientific works, as well as his contribution to the field of knowledge, the investigation of his scientific achievements, and the astonishment of European scholars at his discoveries.
Key words: Ulugbek, Shohruh, Jamshid Koshiy, Qozizoda Rumiy, Ali Qushchi, Bukhara, Peter I, L.A.Sedio, Samarkand, J.N.Delil, Petersburg, Jon Grivs, England, Yan Geveliy.
Mirzo Muhammad ibn Shohruh ibn Temur Ulugbek Qoragoni (1394-1449) – a great astronomer and mathematician, a prominent figure of his time, a state ruler, who governed Movarounnahr from 1441 to 1449, a famous ruler and conqueror, the grandson of Amir Temur. Ulugbek (Muhammad Taragay) was born on March 22, 1394, in the city of Sultaniya, present-day Azerbaijan.
In 1405, following the death of a great conqueror who created a vast empire stretching from Central Asia to the Middle East, all his legacy passed to his sons and grandsons. Shohruh, the grandson of Temur, was placed at the head of the Timurid Empire in the capital of Herat.
Shohruh, the only son of the ruler of Mavarannahr, was assigned to Ulugbek. In 1409, Ulugbek was appointed as the governor of Samarkand, and after the death of his father, he became the ruler, and in 1447, he became the head of the Timurid dynasty.
From a young age, Ulugbek showed great interest in various fields of knowledge and arts, especially mathematics and astronomy. His intellectual curiosity led to the establishment of a large library where he spent a lot of time. Despite being busy with state affairs, Ulugbek devoted much time to learning. He had an exceptional memory, mastered Arabic and Persian languages, had a good knowledge of Turkish jurisprudence, and participated in literary discussions. He also wrote poetry himself. Ulugbek’s mentor was the famous mathematician and astronomer Qozizoda Rumiy, who showed Ulugbek the famous observatories in Maragha when he was nine years old. These memories from his childhood might have shaped Ulugbek’s future as an astronomer. During Ulugbek’s time, Samarkand became one of the centers of scientific and cultural development in the Middle Ages. In Samarkand, in the first half of the 15th century, a scientific school was formed under the leadership of Ghiyath al-Din Jamshid al-Kashi, Qozizoda Rumiy, Ali Qushchi, and other famous astronomers and mathematicians. They were accompanied by historians such as Hofiz Abru, the famous physician Mavlono Nefis, and poets like Sirojiddin Samarqandiy, Sakkokiy, Lutfiy, Badakhshiy, and others. They became prominent figures in the intellectual world of their time.
In 1417-1420, Ulugbek founded a madrasa in Samarkand, which became the first memorial ensemble included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. This madrasa offered education in various branches of Islamic sciences, with a particular emphasis on astronomy and mathematics. The remaining two madrasas were built in Gijduvan and Bukhara. The madrasas established by Ulugbek served the function of a university. The madrasa founded by Ulugbek in Bukhara had the inscription “Learning is a duty for every Muslim” above its entrance.
According to the opinions of researchers, the construction of the observatory was completed in 1428-1429. The observatory was a rare architectural masterpiece of its time. To withstand seismic activity, the building was constructed with a stone foundation on the hill of Kohik.
The main tool used in the observatory was a sextant, a device used to measure angles between celestial objects, especially used for determining the positions of stars. Besides the main instrument, the observatory also housed other astronomical instruments.
It is likely that the accuracy and convenience of the sextant played a significant role in carrying out precise astronomical observations, which contributed to Ulugbek’s knowledge and his legacy. Under the leadership and participation of the great astronomer Ulugbek, the main work of the observatory, “Zidjiy Ko‘rag‘oniy” and “Ulug‘bek’s star table,” was carried out. In this book, the positions of 1018 stars observed from the Samarqand observatory were recorded with remarkable accuracy, surpassing the data from the Almagest and the Alfonsine Tables, which were considered the standard astronomical works at that time.
In addition to this, the observatory also conducted works related to determining the inclination of the ecliptic to the equator and calculating the length of the stellar year, as well as the significance of sine at a certain angle for important astronomical regularities, calculated up to the eighteenth decimal place after the comma.
Ulugbek verified his data several times, and it was concluded that his calculations were accurate. In 1437, he determined the length of the astronomical year: 365 days, 6 hours, 10 minutes, and 8 seconds. Later revisions showed a difference of only 58 seconds. If we consider the astronomical year to be 365,258,150 seconds, it can be assumed that Ulugbek’s measurements were remarkably precise.
In addition to being a great scientist, Ulugbek was a humble ruler. He spent most of his time in the observatory and devoted less time to state affairs. His son Abdulatif, influenced by spiritual leaders, declared war against his father. His son suggested his father visit Mecca, which Ulugbek accepted according to Sharia law and set off on a journey to Mecca in 1449. However, he was assassinated on his way to Mecca.
Even after the great Ulugbek’s death, his bright star did not fade. His loyal disciple Ali Qushchi, under the pressure of the ruler, left Samarkand and took Ulugbek’s book “Zidjiy Ko‘rag‘oniy” to Europe. Later, the book became the property of many scholars of the subsequent generations. Ulugbek’s name and efforts became famous among European and Asian scholars. In the 17th century, Ulugbek was depicted among the greatest world astronomers in “Starry Sky” by Yan Geveliy, where various astronomers from different times and places were depicted. They were depicted as stars shining in the sky of Urania, contributing to the treasury of world astronomy.
Ulugbek’s main scientific work is considered to be “Zidjiy jadidi Ko‘rag‘oniy” or “The New Astronomical Tables of Gurkhon.” The author completed this work in 1444, after thirty years of tireless astronomical observations and calculations. This astronomical almanac, together with the “Almagest” by Ptolemy and the astronomical tables of Alfonso X, which were recognized as standard works in all European observatories, formed the basis for this work.
The accuracy of these tables was confirmed earlier in the East and later in Europe. By the 17th century, Ticho Brahe was able to achieve accuracy equivalent to the observations made in Samarkand, and later, even greater precision was achieved. Ulugbek’s “Zidji” was recognized not only in the East but also attracted the attention of European astronomers.
The “Zidji” consists of four major sections. The first part, named chronology, presents various chronological methods accepted by different Eastern peoples. The second part deals with practical astronomical issues, the third is devoted to the movement of fixed stars relative to the Earth’s geocentric system, and the fourth part is dedicated to astrology, focusing on the fate of humanity according to medieval astronomy.
During the time of Peter I, Ulugbek’s “Zij” was published in Russia, which is a historical fact. This was accomplished by a young German scientist, a member of the Russian Foreign Affairs Committee, G. Ya. Ker. He translated Ulugbek’s “Zij” from Farsi to Latin and published it. This task was assigned to him based on the proposal of Peter I and under the patronage of Joseph Nikola Delisle, an astronomer who came to St. Petersburg. J.N. Delisle had developed a special program to develop Russian astronomy before his arrival in St. Petersburg. Recognizing the need to study the achievements of Eastern astronomy in this program, G. Ya. Ker, and Vakhtang VI, a Georgian prince living in St. Petersburg who was proficient in foreign languages, proposed this task. Before Vakhtang VI came to Russia, he started translating “Ulugbek’s astronomical tables” from Persian into Georgian with his secretary M. Kavkasidze. Later, this translation was completed in St. Petersburg.
The astronomical tables calculated by Ulugbek, which provide insight into ancient chronology, serve as a compass for astronomers and historians. Ulugbek’s star tables confirm the accuracy of Ptolemy’s star map presented in “Almagest.”
In 1648, in Oxford, England, the first major work on the main work carried out at Ulugbek’s famous observatory in Samarkand was partially published internationally. The work was prepared for publication and accompanied by comments by John Stevens, a professor of astronomy at Oxford University. Later, the celestial maps were published several times in England.
Seventeen years after the first Oxford publication, an Oxford librarian, an orientalist, and translator, Thomas Hyde, prepared and partially published a new edition of the famous observatory’s work in Persian and Latin titled “Tabulae Long, as Lat. Stellarum Fixarum, ex observatione Ulugh Beighi,” in Oxford in 1665.
The publication of Ulugbek’s tables in Europe, therefore, attracted considerable attention from scholars and astronomers. The tables’ calculations required extensive and expensive research and mathematical work, which greatly appreciated the scholars’ evaluation. Twenty-five years after Hyde’s Oxford publication, the data from Ulugbek’s tables found a place in the pages of the “Prodromus Astronomiae” by the Polish astronomer Jan Heweliusz (1611-1687) published in Gdansk. In his work, Jan Heweliusz compared the data from Ulugbek’s tables with those from other sources: Ptolemy, Tycho Brahe, Riccioli, the Ottoman Prince Kaş, and Heweliusz himself.
In 1839, the French orientalist L.A. Sédillot (1808-1876) partially published Ulugbek’s tables under the title “Tables astronomiques d’Oloug Beg, commentees et publiees avec le texte en regard,” I vol., 1st part, Paris, 1839. Finally, a more detailed analysis of Ulugbek’s tables preserved in British libraries was published in the United States in 1917 by E. B. Knobel under the title “Ulugh Beg’s Catalogue of Stars. Revised from all Persian Manuscripts Existing in Great Britain.”
It is worth mentioning that numerous manuscripts of “Zij” are preserved in European and Asian book repositories. Ulugbek’s star tables became the last word in medieval astronomy before the invention of the telescope, representing the highest achievement of medieval astronomical science. Ulugbek’s vast scientific legacy proves that he was not just a great Muslim ruler, but also contributed significantly to the advancement of human knowledge and civilization. Therefore, for centuries, and even today, Ulugbek’s name remains a symbol of unity between Eastern and Western peoples, serving noble purposes.
Mirzo Ulugbek’s high intellectual and spiritual legacy continues to be studied in leading educational institutions and scientific centers around the world. With the initiative of the First President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov, Uzbekistan National University was named after this outstanding scientist.
In 1994, the 600th anniversary of the scientist’s birth was celebrated internationally, and a series of events were held with the participation of foreign scholars, experts, and public figures. In 2009, an international scientific conference was held in Paris dedicated to the 615th anniversary of Mirzo Ulugbek’s birth. The conference was attended by more than 130 scholars and representatives of various international organizations. The ongoing interest in Mirzo Ulugbek’s scientific and spiritual heritage around the world demonstrates its immense significance.
Literature:
- Hugh Thurston, Early Astronomy, (New York: Springer-Verlag), p. 194, ISBN 0-387-94107-X
- Stevens, Jooohn. TogoThe history of Persia. Containing, the lives and memorable actions of its kings from the first erecting of that monarchy to this time; an exact Description of all its Dominions; a curious Account of India, China, Tartary, Kermon, Arabia, Nixabur, and the Islands of Ceylon and Timor; as also of all Cities occasionally mentionʼd, as Schiras, Samarkand, Bokara, &c. Manners and Customs of those People, Persian Worshippers of Fire; Plants, Beasts, Product, and Trade. With many instructive and pleasant digressions, being remarkable Stories or Passages, occasionally occurring, as Strange Burials; Burning of the Dead; Liquors of several Countries; Hunting; Fishing; Practice of Physick; famous Physicians in the East; Actions of Tamerlan, &c. To which is added, an abridgment of the lives of the kings of Harmuz, or Ormuz. The Persian history written in Arabick, by Mirkond, a famous Eastern Author that of Ormuz, by Torunxa, King of that Island, both of them translated into Spanish, by Antony Teixeira, who livʼd several Years in Persia and India; and now renderʼd into English
- Ajabov, A (1991). “There is one observatory in the world” (PDF). Science and Life. No. 2. Pages. Returned: 14 November 2023.
- “Star of Ulugbek” (film). Returned: 10 April 2012.
- Education in the Republic of Uzbekistan – VUZi Respublika [site does not work]
- A museum of Mirzo Ulugbek was created in Samarkand [site does not work]
- “Kazan Federal University took part in the International scientific online conference” Samarkand State University – the successor of the Ulugbek Madrasa ” | Media portal – Kazanskiy (Privoljskiy) … ” Returned: December 3, 2020.
- “Mirzo Ulugbek’s image was installed in the aerospace capital of France” (Uzbek). oz.sputniknews.uz (March 3, 2023). Returned: November 7, 2023.
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