Ulugh Beg Observatory
Good to know
- Best time to go
- April to June, September to October
- Budget
- $
- Accessibility
- limited
- Coordinates
- Open in maps
Built in the 1420s on a hill north of Samarkand, the Ulugh Beg Observatory housed the enormous arc of a sextant used to compile one of the most precise star catalogs of the medieval world. Only the lower curved trench of the instrument survives, preserved in a purpose-built shelter, while an adjacent museum displays astronomical instruments and manuscripts. The site occupies a quiet hillside with views across the city.
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