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The role of Mirzo Ulugbek’s scientific heritage in science
and new spirituality of Uzbekistan
Zebo AVEZMURATOVA
Urgench State University
ARTICLE INFO
ABSTRACT
Article history:
Received July 2024
Received in revised form
15 August 2024
Accepted 25 August 2024
Available online
15 September 2024
This article explores the life and legacy of Mirzo Ulugbek, a
great statesman who made significant contributions to world
science, a supreme commander of his time, and a fair and
knowledgeable teacher. Recognized as the greatest astronomer
of the East, Mirzo Ulugbek’s scientific works are valuable
resources for teaching astronomy. Teachers, students, and those
interested in the field can greatly benefit from studying his
contributions to science.
2181-
1415/©
2024 in Science LLC.
https://doi.org/10.47689/2181-1415-vol5-iss8/S-pp175-181
This is an open access article under the Attribution 4.0 International
(CC BY 4.0) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.ru)
Keywords:
observatory,
meridian,
moon,
sun,
astrolabe,
“Zizhi Coragona”,
“Ziz”,
geocentric,
heliocentric ecliptic,
Edwin Hubble.
Мирзо Улуғбекнинг илмий меросининг фан ва янги
Ўзбекистон маънавиятидаги ўрни
АННОТАЦИЯ
Калит сўзлар:
Обсерватория,
меридиан,
ой,
қуёш
,
астролябия,
“Zizhi Coragona”,
“Зиж”,
геоцентрик,
гелиоцентрик,
эклиптика,
Эдвин Ҳаббл.
Мақолада
Мирзо
Улуғбекнинг
ҳаёти
ва
илмий
мероси
таҳлил
қилинади
.
У
ўз
даврининг
буюк
давлат
арбоби
,
дунё
фанини
ривожлантиришга
улкан
ҳисса
қўшган
,
адолатли
ва
билимдон
устоз
сифатида
танилган
.
Шарқнинг
энг
улуғ
астрономи
сифатида
танилган
Мирзо
Улуғбекнинг
илмий
асарлари
астрономия
таълими
учун
бебаҳо
манбадир
.
Ўқитувчилар
,
талабалар
ва
астрономияга
қизиқувчилар
унинг
фанга
қўшган
ҳиссаларини
ўрганишдан
катта
фойда
кўришлари
мумкин
.
1
Associate Professor, Department of Physics, Mathematics and Technological Pedagogical Sciences, Urgench State
University.
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Роль научного наследия Мирзо Улугбека в науке и
новой духовности Узбекистана
АННОТАЦИЯ
Ключевые слова:
Обсерватория,
меридиан,
луна,
солнце,
астролябия,
“Zizhi Coragona”,
“Зиж”,
геоцентрический,
гелиоцентрический,
эклиптика,
Эдвин Хаббл.
В статье рассматриваются жизнь и наследие Мирзо
Улугбека –
великого государственного деятеля, внесшего
значительный вклад в мировую науку, верховного
правителя своего времени и справедливого и мудрого
учителя. Признанный величайшим астрономом Востока,
научные труды Мирзо Улугбека являются ценными
источниками
для
преподавания
астрономии.
Преподаватели, студенты и все, кто интересуется этой
наукой, могут извлечь большую пользу из изучения его
вклада в науку.
On December 22, 2023, during an expanded meeting of the Republican Spiritual
and Educational Center, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev emphasized that "Spirituality
should become a new force, a new movement in our lives." Additionally, the 73rd goal of
the New Uzbekistan Development Strategy for 2022
–
2026 highlights the "In-depth study
and wide promotion of the rich scientific heritage of our great ancestors." [1].
Mirzo Ulugbek, one of the great representatives of the II-Renaissance period, a
great statesman of his time, and the greatest astronomer of the East who raised the
spirituality, culture, and enlightenment of his country and people to the highest heights.
Mirza Ulugbek, the youngest son of Amir Temur, Shokhrukh Mirzoni, was the eldest son
and grandson of Amir Temur. Mirza Ulugbek was born on March 22, 1394, in the city of
Sultania, Iran, during the military campaign of his grandfather Amir Temur. His real name
was Mirza Muhammad ibn Shokhrukh ibn Temur Ulugbek Koragoni. In his youth, he was
called Ulugbek and became Mirzo Ulugbek. In 1411, at the age of 17, Mirza Ulugbek was
appointed governor of Movarunnahr and Turkestan. His father, Shah Rukh, was
considered the only ruler of Iran and Turan. Mirzo Ulugbek was brought up by his
grandmother Saroymalik during his childhood years. This lady taught her grandson to
read and write and told stories on historical topics. Later, Shohmalik took care of him,
gave him military and political training.
Ulugbek was intelligent and interested in science. According to his students, he knew
the Arabic language perfectly and memorized most of the Holy Qur'an. He had deep
theoretical and practical knowledge of many natural sciences, mathematics, geometry,
trigonometry, and astronomy. At the age of 10, the astrologer Maulana Ahmed, famous since
the time of Amir Timur, is believed to have taught astronomy. Later, Ulugbek himself called
Qazizada Rumi his teacher. Ulugbek became a mature scientist in his 20s [4, 5].
Due to his interest in science and the development of the country, Ulugbek decided
to build a new educational institution and madrasa. In 1417
–
1433, he built 3 madrasahs
in Samarkand, Bukhara and Gijduvan. These madrasahs served as universities in their
time. Bukhara madrasa was the second most prestigious madrasa in Movarounnahr.
Ulugbek's hadith was written on its facade: "The pursuit of knowledge is a duty for every
Muslim and Muslim woman." This is what he himself shows that Ulugbek strives for
spirituality and enlightenment for the future of his country. 1420 Madrasah is opened in
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Samarkand. Shamsiddin Muhammad is appointed as the headmaster of this madrasa.
The main lectures in the madrasa are held in Qaziza, Ulugbek, alongside scholars such as
Koshiy and later Ali Kushchilar, conducted extensive studies. Scholars from various cities
across Movarunnahr were gathered in Samarkand, and by 1417, their number exceeded
100, forming the Ulugbek School in Samarkand [5,4]. Many notable figures emerged from
this school, where subjects like mathematics, trigonometry, geography, and particularly
astronomy were deeply studied. Between 1424 and 1429, Ulugbek constructed an
observatory on Kohak hill, near the Obi Rahmat stream, to support the scientific work
being conducted at the madrasa. The collaboration between this observatory and the
madrasa elevated the study of astronomy and mathematics to its peak during the Middle
Ages, under the Ulugbek Scientific School.
The measurements taken at Ulugbek's observatory were the most precise for their
time. For instance, astronomers have long sought to measure the angle between the
Ecliptic and the Celestial Equator due to its relevance to the Sun's movement along the
ecliptic, which influences the changing of the seasons. Historical measurements show
varying degrees of accuracy: Eratosthenes' measurement in 230 BC had an error of
+7'55'', Ptolemy in 140 AD had an error of +10'10'', Nasriddin Tusi in 1270 AD had an
error of -2'09'', while Ulugbek's measurement in 1437 AD had an error of only -0'32'' [6].
In other measurements, such as the length of the tropical year and the orbital periods of
planets, the accuracy of Ulugbek's calculations was also remarkably high.The main
reason for this is that the observatory made the least error of Ulugbek, i.e. by 32 seconds.
The main reason for this is that the construction of the Observatory is the most perfect
for this period (Fig. 1). The observatory is located along the plane of the circular arc of
the earth's meridian. During the daily rotation of the Earth around its axis, all luminaries,
stars, the Moon, and the Sun pass through the meridian plane. This is because the lamps
will shine into the observatory for a while. Installation of large telescopes in large
observatories is more difficult, they need to be installed more massively and firmly.
Otherwise, it will cause errors. At the Ulugbek observatory, the Earth globe itself was
taken in place of the mantle. The axis of the Earth's rotation almost does not change.
The rotation of the earth around its axis was mentioned by Abu Rayha Beruni at the
beginning of the 1000s. So, we can say that Ulugbek Beruni's views were taken into
account in the construction of the observatory. Copernicus' heliocentric ideas were still
120 years old [2,3].
Part of the sky is not visible at night due to the movement of the sun on the ecliptic.
During the year, all regions of the sky can be seen, and of course, this situation is taken
into account. Before the construction of the observatory, they were familiar with the
above-mentioned astronomical phenomena. According to the sources, he consulted
astronomers and mathematicians such as Mirza Ulugbek, Qazizada Rumi, Ghiyaziddin
Mahmud, Koshi. Sources say that during the construction of the observatory, Qaziza
worked a lot on the astrolabe made by Rumi, Al-Khorazmi, Al-Farghani and Al-Beruni [3].
It was the astrolabe that served as a protractor in the Middle Ages. The main measuring
instrument of the Ulugbek observatory is an enlarged telescope (Fig. 2).
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Figure 2.
"Zizhi Koragony" was created based on the observations made at the observatory.
Zijlar was written before and after Ulugbek. But his "Zij" was very perfect, scientific, and
precise, and made a significant contribution to the development of world science.
"Zizhi Koragony" consisted of 403 pages and 4 books. It contains the theoretical
part of astronomy, trigonometry, spherical triangles, analysis with observational results,
and the exact coordinates of 1018 stars. So, how does this matter? Ulugbek's "Zij" was the
most perfect astronomical work of the Middle Ages and quickly attracted the attention of
his contemporaries. After the tragic destruction of Ulugbek in 1449, the scholars of
Samarkand gradually spread throughout the countries of the Near and Middle East. They
brought with them the achievements of Samarkand scientists and copies of "Zij" to the
places they went. Ali Qushchi went to Istanbul in 1473 and kept "Zij" in the library of
Istanbul, Turkey. "Zij" spreads to Europe through Turkey. According to information, there
are about 100 Persian copies of "Zij" and more than 15 Arabic copies [5].
Ulugbek "Zij" has a strong influence on Indian scientists. There is
information that Babur took the scientific traditions of Samarkand scientists to India.
Western Europeans knew Temur and his children, especially Ulugbek, from the 15th
century. In 1638, John Greaves (1602-1652), an English scientist and orientalist,
professor at Oxford University, arrived in Istanbul. He finds "Zij" from Istanbul and takes
him to England. 1448-1452 98 stars and a geographical table from "Zij" are published in
Latin.
Another English scholar and orientalist, Thomas Hyde (1636-1703), published a
table of fixed stars from Zij in 1665 in Persian and Latin. 1680s Polish scientist,
astronomer
Johannes Hevelius gives most of the Zij in his book The Astronomical Reporter.
Johannes Hevelius made engravings of the constellations. He was an astronomer,
mathematician, and artist who depicted the constellations in pictures corresponding to
their names [4,5].
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Figure 3.
In picture 3, in the engraving (work) of the Polish astronomer Johannes Hevelius,
Ulugbek is sitting on the right side of URONIA-Goddess of the Sky (in the middle she is
holding the Sun in her right hand). The greatest astronomers are depicted in this work:
Ptolemy, Tycho Brahe, Ulugbek, Javani Riccioli, Wilhelm IV and Hannes Hevelius.
It can be seen that Ulugbek's place is high. He is described as even higher than
Ptolemy. The picture shows the writing on the wall behind each astronomer. "I left my
work to my worthy descendants" is written about Ulugbek.
These paintings were made in 1685. At this time, the heliocentric theory of
N. Copernicus replaced the geocentric theory of Ptolemy, which had been in power for
almost the 15th century. In this work, Jan Haveli compared the great astronomers
according to their work.
In conclusion, it can be said that Ulugbek's work was the most valuable in Europe
at that time [3]. Similarly, there was great interest in Ulugbek "Zij" in the West and
Europe. Edwin Hubble, one of the greatest astronomers of the 20th century, studied 18
manuscripts of Ulugh Beg's "Zij" kept in British libraries and published "Ulugh Beg's
Catalog of Statistics" in English in 1917 in Washington. publishes under the name [4,5]. It
had a very important meaning. Edwin Hubble is the greatest astronomer of the 20th
century. He studied galaxies and showed that 131 galaxies can be observed in every
square degree of the sky. 1929 added his law to the modern model of the universe.
According to his formula V=H x R, the universe is expanding with acceleration. The speed
at which galaxies are moving away from each other increases to H= 72 km/s for every
MegoParsec (Mps) of distance. The large Hubble telescope has been flying in space since
1991, studying quasars, objects at the outermost limits of the universe [2].
When conducting research, scientists search for the necessary information and
sources. It is not surprising that in 1917, the renowned astronomer Edwin Hubble may
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have referenced Ulugbek's "Zij" tables. Galaxies are now much better understood. Our
Solar System is located 30 kps from the center of the Milky Way galaxy, orbiting the
galactic center at a speed of 250 km/s. There are more than 200 billion stars in our
galaxy, and like the Sun, they revolve around the galaxy. Due to these movements, the
stars shift relative to each other, a phenomenon now measured using various methods.
For instance, current methods indicate that the Sun (apex) moves toward the
constellation Hercules at 30 km/s. These shifts are imperceptible because of the vast
distances between stars, making them noticeable only over 10 or even 100 years. Human
lifespans are insufficient to observe these changes directly; instead, scientists compare
the precision of modern methods with long-term observations.
It is entirely plausible that Edwin Hubble compared his theoretically calculated
results with the precisely measured star coordinates from the 600-year-old Ulugbek "Zij".
This demonstrates that the value of Ulugbek's "Zij" remains significant both now and in
the future. Mirzo Ulugbek, a great statesman, a supreme commander of his era, and a just
and wise teacher made an invaluable contribution to world science and will forever be
remembered in history. As Uzbeks, it is essential that we, especially our youth, take pride
in, study, and promote these historical and spiritual values as we enter the era of the
Third Renaissance in New Uzbekistan.
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