Ulugh Beg Madrasa, Samarkand

The Ulugh Beg Madrasa is a madrasa in the historic center of Samarkand, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Uzbekistan. Together with other monuments, it forms the monumental ensemble of Registan, the old heart of the city. It was built between 1417 and 1421 by the then-Timurid governor of Samarkand, Ulugh Beg, Timur's grandson and prominent astronomer, who was later emperor between 1447 and 1449.The madrasa was an important teaching center of the Timurid Empire, where they taught some of the most outstanding scholars of their time, both religious and secular. It is the oldest building in Registan, the only one from the 15th century and the only survivor of a wider architectural ensemble, which included several mosques, caravanserais, a bazaar, and a khanaqah. At the site of the latter is currently the Sher-Dor Madrasah, located in front of Ulugh Beg Madrasa.