Ulugh Beg was the first born son of Shāhrukh (youngest son of Tīmūr or Tamerlane) and his first wife Gawharshād. He was raised at the court of his grandfather and, at the age of 10, was married to his cousin Agha Bīkī, whose mother was a direct descendent of Chingiz-Khan. Thus Ulugh Beg could use the epithet Gūrgān, “royal-son-in-law”, which had originally been used for Chingiz’s son-in-law. After Tīmūr’s death in 1405, Ulugh Beg became governor of Turkestan and Transoxiana, the most important cities of which were the cultural centers Samarqand and Bukhara. Ulugh Beg is said to have spoken Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Mongolian, and some Chinese. He had a thorough knowledge of Arabic syntax and wrote poetry himself. Although he honored Turkic-Mongolian customs, he also knew the Quran by heart, including commentaries and citations. Ulugh Beg was also a passionate hunter. [BEA, van Dalen]