Atop a small hill, just north of Samarkand, Uzbekistan, lie the remains of what was once the most advanced astronomical observatory in the world. While the building itself has not survived, the underground section of its 151-foot-long sextant remains intact. The observatory and the discoveries made there sprang from the passion of a single man, … Continue reading The clever prince Ulugh Beg built — and used — an ingenious observatory in the 15th century