The Ulugh Beg Madrasah was built during the time of Timur and has an imposing iwan with a lancet-arch pishtaq facing the Registan square. The corners are flanked by high minarets and geometrically stylized ornaments form a mosaic over the entrance. The square interior courtyard includes a mosque, lecture rooms, and dormitory cells for students.
The Madrassah was one of the most esteemed universities of the Islamic Orient in the 15h century. During Ulug Beg's reign, the madrassah was also a center of secular science.