Few historical figures can have been as
underappreciated as Uzbekistan’s Ulugh Beg. One suspects that had he been European he would be lionized today
alongside the likes of Galileo and Copernicus. This oversight is one which Timur
Tillyaev and his wife, Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva have sought to put
right.
Released in 2017, Ulugh Beg: The Man Who
Unlocked the Universe, is a remarkable documentary film. Produced by Timur
Tillyaev and Lola Tillyaeva, it stars celebrated American actor, Armand Assante and is
narrated by the charismatic Vincent Cassel. With its rich production values and
engaging pace, the film is an engaging piece of story-telling as it is; that
the story is based on real-life events is all the more remarkable. This is
reflected by the fact that it has gone on to win several awards. For example,
it won coveted
Kineo Prize for ‘Best Foreign Documentary’ at the 74th Venice International Film Festival
and also ‘Best
Documentary Award,’ at the Ischia Film Festival.
Timur Tillyaev and his wife must be gratified to
see how well their work has been received among audiences and critics alike.
Uzbeks themselves, the project was a labor of love and born of a shared desire
to encourage international interest in both Ulugh Beg’s extraordinary life and
Uzbek culture in general. As Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva put it herself,
“I have been fascinated by Ulugh Beg ever since I was a child. Every
time I visited Samarkand and heard about the scientific discoveries made by
this celebrated scholar and peace-loving ruler – a man who in the 15th
century turned Samarkand into the
epicentre of the world’s most advanced studies in astronomy – I thought that
his extraordinary story should be told to the world,”
(https://tillyaev-karimova.com/ulugh-beg-the-man-who-unlocked-the-universe-1/).
Ulugh Beg: The Man Who Unlocked the Universe, tells the story of a grandson of the great Tamerlane
who was given a throne, whilst still a teenager. Thanks to a period of relative
peace, scholars from China, Turkey and Persia were able to travel for the first
time in many years. Ulugh encouraged their visits and studied the learned texts
they carried, particularly those related to astrology, trigonometry and
geometry. Far more than merely a patron of learning, Ulugh Beg himself had one
of the great minds of his time. He produced numerous great works and made
several significant discoveries in his own right.
He is also remembered for founding one of the
first universities and constructing a huge, three-story sextant. Working more
than a century before the invention of the telescope, this instrument allowed
him to make precise measurements and calculations which Galileo was not able to
improve upon. He also produced a breathtakingly accurate map of the night sky.
With over 1000 celestial bodies listed and their location described – nothing
quite like it had ever been seen.
Timur Tillyaev and Lola’s gorgeous film is more than an
engrossing piece of entertainment, it is an engaging showcase of the richness
of Uzbek culture and history.
