Ulugh Beg Assassinated by His Son

1449

The astronomer-prince of Samarkand, whose star catalogue rivaled Ptolemy's in precision and whose sextant was the largest astronomical instrument on earth, was ambushed and beheaded by his own son Abd al-Latif on a road outside the city walls. His observatory fell into disuse within months, its great arc eventually buried under rubble and windblown soil. The Timurid Renaissance had produced its finest scientist and then murdered him for political convenience.