Ulugh Beg's Book of the Constellations

A splendid astronomical manuscript for the palace library

Astronomy is one of the oldest sciences in human history. The Timurid prince Ulug Beg (1394–1449) also seems to have had the desire to fathom the universe and the role of the Earth in it. It was clear to him that this would require a precise star catalog as a basis, which is why he had the Book of the Constellations copied and magnificently illuminated at his court in Samarkand between ca. 1430 and 1440.

A passionate scientist on the throne

Ulug Beg led astronomy to a new heyday in the 15th century during his rule over Samarkand. He was not only a patron and financier of science and the arts, but also a gifted mathematician and astronomer himself. Thus, it is not surprising that he had the famous observatory built, which at that time was ranked as the best observatory in the world and enabled incredibly accurate observations of the sky. For example, Ulug Beg and his scholars managed to calculate the stellar year to an accuracy of 58 seconds.
His fascination with science is evident from an early age: Only shortly after his grandfather, the Timurid ruler Timurlengs, appointed him governor of Samarkand at the age of 15, he founded a university in the legendary city on the Silk Road and thereby gathered numerous scholars at his court, with whom he jointly pursued science.

Für Jahrhunderte unübertroffene Präzision

The Book of the Constellations is a copy of the remarkable astronomical treatise and star catalog by the Persian scholar Al-Sufi (903–986). Back in the 10th century, he succeeded in combining the findings of Ptolemy's (100–160) Almagest with Arabic literature and his own observations to create a work that was unsurpassed in precision for centuries and soon became the standard in both the Islamic and Christian worlds. In it, Al-Sufi even described the Magellanic Cloud and the Andromeda Galaxy.

Astronomische Konstellationen in atemberaubenden Miniaturen

The constellations and celestial bodies described in the calligraphically refined text are illuminated in this magnificent copy of Al-Sufi's work with 74 enchanting, often full-page miniatures, which not only have aesthetic value, but are also useful for scientific observation of the sky. All constellations are shown in duplicate: once as they can be seen in the sky from Earth, and once the other way around as a projection onto a sphere, as if viewed from space.
In the delicately drawn, pastel-colored miniatures, which show some influences from Chinese art, the individual stars shine in brilliant gold, their size being based on their brightness. Meanwhile, those stars that do not belong to the respective constellation appear in red, though all are identified by inscriptions with their names. A breathtaking interplay of scientific knowledge and artistic sophistication!