It was past midnight. The observatory lay in utter silence. As on any other night, Ala al-Dīn Ali ibn Muhammed Qushji[1] was observing the heavenly spheres when a faint unease stirred within him, and he rose to his feet. Scarcely had he set down his astrolabe[2] when footsteps echoed from above—likely from the first chamber. Yet these were not the cautious steps of disciples, but the heavy tread of soldiers. Mevlana fixed his gaze on the small, intricately carved wicket of the upper chamber. From beyond it, a thick, resonant voice rang out:
Mevlana Khazrat[3] Ali ibn Muhammed Qushji! His Majesty, Mirzo
Ulugbek Kuragoniy[4], commands your immediate presence in the Kuksaray[5]!"
Ali Qushji shaded his brow with one hand, straining to glimpse the soldiers; yet their bearded faces lay half in shadow, the torchlight flaring high above their heads.
Grant me a moment—I must return the astrolabe to its place, said Ali
Qushji.
In the dimly lit observatory, the same resonant voice rang out—this time edged with menace:
The hour wanes, Mevlana. The horses stand ready!
The soldiers withdrew, their hobnailed boots ringing heavy upon the marble stairs. The torches, held high, cast fleeting light over the gold-plated patterns on the walls; and when the soldiers departed, the observatory sank once more into darkness. Only the great white stars shone through the special aperture in the ceiling—an opening fashioned so that the wandering stars of heaven might be observed upon the sextant set into the floor.
Ali Qushji stroked his short goatee and gazed for a moment through the aperture.
Master Mirzo Ulugbek[6] had visited the observatory a few days earlier at dawn. Seating himself upon his tiger-skin-covered throne, he gazed into the dark sky and sank deep into thought.
It was clear to Ali Qushji that this year the majestic Jove and the radiant Venus would draw unusually close—just as they had in the year of Sohibqiron Amir Temur's birth[7]. His Majesty was anxious, anticipating that some great fortune might arise under such a celestial conjunction.
It had been a couple of years since the melancholic tidings arrived from distant Herat — the news of the passing of Shohruh Mirzo[8], the rightful ruler. Since then, the lands of Khorasan and Transoxiana lay under a thick mist of anxiety. The Timurid princes, aflame with lust for power and the throne, did not rest for a moment from sharpening their swords in the hope of ascending it. In the end, it was Ulugbek, with the sharpest of blades, who secured peace in the empire whose boundless frontiers stretched far to the east and west. Yet the crown prince, Abulatif Mirzo[9], rose in rebellion against his sacred father. His Majesty was compelled to march toward the banks of the Oxus[10] River at the beginning of the lunar month of Rajab. But intrigues within the royal palace, unfolding even as the Oxus campaign commenced, forced the Overlord to return to the crown city of Samarkand. Now, only a few days had passed since the spreading of troubling rumours about the crown prince: it was said he had crossed the Oxus and was drawing perilously close to the city of Kesh…
Indeed, the Master had spoken nothing of this when he visited the observatory the other day. With an astrolabe in hand, he gazed upon the heavens; then, with visible weariness, he slowly ascended the marble stairs to the third floor and entered the library. His countenance was marked by grief and mental fatigue. He let his fingers pass gently over each rare volume, neatly arrayed upon the shelves — books he had gathered over the four decades of his rule. Perhaps his thoughts turned to Master Qadi Zada al-Rumi[11], for he paused for some time, reading the pages of Risola fi-l-hisob[12]. Afterwards, with his head bowed, the Master departed the observatory in utter silence, without even bidding farewell to Ali Qushji. This image weighed heavily upon Ali's heart. Several times he had resolved to visit the Kuk Saray, yet each time he lost the courage. At last, it was the Master himself who summoned him to the Kuk Saray.
Ali Qushji wound the madrassah turban over his black velvet takiya[13], donned a brocade vest, and, over it, draped his white chakmon[14]. Thus attired, he began the steep ascent of the stairs…
[1] Ala al-Dīn Ali ibn Muhammed Ali Qushji — 15th-century Timurid astronomer, mathematician, and theologian (c. 1403–1474), a leading disciple of Ulugh Beg at the Samarkand observatory. He contributed to the Zīj-i Sultānī, one of the era's most precise astronomical tables, and advanced theories separating astronomy from Aristotelian physics. After Ulugh Beg's death, Qushji moved to the Ottoman court in Constantinople, where he was appointed head of the medrese by Sultan Mehmed II, influencing the development of astronomy in the Islamic world
[2] A medieval instrument for measuring the positions of celestial bodies and telling time by the stars.
[3] An honorific from Arabic ḥaḍrat ("presence"), used in Central Asian, Persian, and Ottoman contexts to address or refer to rulers, scholars, and revered figures, comparable to "His Excellency" or "The Reverend."
[4] A Timurid imperial title meaning "royal son-in-law," originally denoting marriage into the Chinggisid line; borne by rulers such as Amir Temur and used as an honorific comparable in prestige to "His Majesty."
[5] "Blue Palace" of the Timurid rulers in Samarkand, built by Amir Temur as a royal residence and seat of government, noted for its blue-tiled decoration.
[6] Timurid ruler, astronomer, and mathematician (1394–1449), grandson of Amir Temur (Tamerlane). Renowned for founding the Samarkand observatory and compiling the Zīj-i Sultānī, one of the most accurate star catalogues of the medieval world.
[7] Amir Temur — Turco-Mongol conqueror and founder of the Timurid Empire (1336–1405), known in the West as Tamerlane. Renowned for his military genius and vast conquests across Central Asia, Persia, and beyond, he established Samarkand as a political and cultural center. Often styled Sohibqiron, "Lord of the Auspicious Conjunction," in recognition of his perceived celestial fortune.
[8] Timurid ruler (1377–1447), youngest son of Amir Temur (Sohibqiron). Governing from Herat, he maintained stability across the empire for four decades, fostering an era of prosperity, architectural patronage, and cultural flourishing. Father of Mirzo Ulugbek, he was respected for his piety, justice, and skill in balancing the ambitions of the Timurid princes.
[9] Timurid prince (c. 1420–1450), eldest son of Mirzo Ulugbek. Initially appointed governor of Balkh, he later rebelled against his father, culminating in Ulugbek's capture and execution. His short reign as ruler of Samarkand was marked by political instability and swift decline.
[10] Oxus— The ancient name, used by Classical Greek and Latin writers, for the river now known as the Amu Darya (medieval: Jayhun). One of Central Asia's major waterways, it long served as a political and cultural boundary between Khorasan and Transoxiana.
[11] (1364–1436), eminent mathematician and astronomer of Anatolian origin. Invited to Samarkand by Mirzo Ulugbek, he played a key role in the construction and operation of the Samarkand observatory, and in training a generation of scholars, including Ali Qushji.
[12] Risola fi-l-hisob — ("Treatise on Arithmetic"), a mathematical work by Qadi Zada al-Rumi, covering arithmetic principles and problem-solving methods, widely studied in the Timurid era as a foundational text in the mathematical sciences.
[13] A close-fitting cap, often of velvet or fine cloth, worn beneath a turban in Central Asian and Islamic cultures.
[14] A traditional Central Asian long coat, often made of wool or cotton and worn over other garments for warmth and formality