The skies and their empirical observation have fascinated people worldwide – and this manuscript gives us a glimpse of fabled Samarkand, mythical center of the Silk Road in the 15th century and synonymous with oriental splendour under the Timurids. Ulugh Beg, a scientist on a ruler’s throne, had the famous 10th-century text of Al-Sufi calligraphed and painted as a magnificent manuscript for his library, depicting star constellations in 72 unique miniatures.