Prompt Cast
The Timurids and the Persian Renaissance: A Golden Age of Science and Art
TLDR The Timurids, descendants of Timur, fostered a period of great scientific and artistic achievements in Samarkand, including advancements in astronomy, mathematics, and the decimal system. The Persian Renaissance also saw the rise of influential female figures, such as Gohashad and Gohar Shah, who made significant contributions to education and culture.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
The hosts discuss the previous episode and the atrocities committed by a man, highlighting the shocking and vivid details.
04:37
The disappearance of Armenian gravestones in a particular location led the speaker to research and become interested in the Armenian genocide, which eventually led to a project documenting the destruction of Armenian churches and the multi-ethnic past of the Middle East being replaced by mono-ethnic nationalism.
08:30
The Timurids, descendants of Timur, brought together a pool of talent and money in Samarkand, commissioning brilliant works of astronomy, mathematics, science, and supporting scholars in various fields, creating an astonishing moment in history.
12:44
Ulugbeg builds on the work of al-Khwarizmi and publishes extraordinary work on the decimal system, chords and signs, solving cubic equations, and computing the value of Pi to a greater degree of precision than any other civilization at the time.
16:55
The Timurids build an enormous three-story circular observatory in Samarkand, topped with a massive mega sextant, and produce new tables and charts that fix the location of 992 stars with precise figures.
21:48
In Herat, a woman ruler named Gohashad sets up a college for women during the Persian Renaissance, but the institution was later destroyed by the British in the 1880s.
26:20
During the Persian Renaissance, a woman named Gohar Shah built a complex in Herat and had a mosque named after an old woman who refused to sell her cottage, highlighting the agency and influence she had during that time.
30:39
During his time in Herat, Babu, the first Mughal emperor, was captivated by the sophisticated and cultured world of the city, but he eventually faced difficulties when he got caught in a snowstorm on his way back to Kabul.
34:58
The greatest moment in Persian painting is considered to be the period in Herat, with Kamaluddin Bizaad being regarded as the supreme Persian painter, despite only a handful of surviving works by him, which do not match his reputation; however, his influence can be seen in subsequent Islamic art and he is still revered today.
39:39
The two distinct traditions of Persian miniature painting, one being an imaginative and fantastical style and the other being a psychologically penetrating and naturalistic style, fused together to create a new Safavid court style, which influenced subsequent Islamic art; the Shahnameh Shatimaz, a great volume of Persian culture, was eventually returned to Iran after being swapped for a William de Kooning painting.
Categories:
History
