Ulugh Beg Observatory, Samarkand: Astronomy of the Olden Days

There are two reasons why the number one sight for me personally in Samarkand was visiting the Ulugh Beg observatory. The first is that I like visiting observatories and planetaria and other space shit. The second reason is that I love visiting the real-life versions of the wonders of Age of Empires II (AoE2). Brief History of Ulugh Beg Astronomy geek Mirza Muhammad Tāraghay (aka Mirzo Ulugh Beg, 1394–1449) was the grandson of Amir Temur (aka Tamerlane, aka Timur, 1336–1405), a conqueror and the founder of the Timurid Empire, dynasty, renaissance, etcetera. Ulugh Beg’s daddy moved the capital from SamarkandContinue reading