THE PRINCE OF STARS

Driven by scientific curiosity, Ulugh Beg makes astronomical discoveries and builds a center for knowledge and culture in 15th-century Turkistan.

A young prince of the Timurid Empire, Ulugh Beg questions everything. “How many stars are there?” “How many days are in a year?” Why do seasons change?” Motivated in large part by his faith (“Striving for knowledge is the duty of every Muslim man and woman,” as the Prophet Muhammad said), Ulugh Beg grows up seeking answers to these questions and more, inspiring the work of later modern scientists such as Galileo and Copernicus. He catalogs more than 1,000 stars and uses their locations to determine the length of the year. He calculates the tilt of Earth’s axis to unlock the mystery of the seasons. Ulugh Beg not only constructs an observatory with the first permanently mounted astronomical instruments, but he also builds schools and mosques, turning Turkistan into a center of learning and culture. Enlightening and infused with a great sense of wonder, Yuksel’s picture-book biography is a much-needed addition to an existing repertoire of books featuring Muslim heroes. As dreamy as the night skies so loved by Ulugh Beg, Firdauzia’s digitally created illustrations chronicle the subject’s growth from a young inquisitive boy to an accomplished mathematician and astronomer. This already greatly informative work wraps up with even more content in the backmatter.

A luminous tribute to a notable figure that’s sure to satisfy—and inspire—inquisitive minds.