diff --git a/quasardb/detail/ts_column.hpp b/quasardb/detail/ts_column.hpp
index a3fd9849..8f7cf913 100644
--- a/quasardb/detail/ts_column.hpp
+++ b/quasardb/detail/ts_column.hpp
@@ -32,8 +32,13 @@
 
 #include "../error.hpp"
 #include <qdb/ts.h>
+#include <algorithm>
 #include <cassert>
+#include <iterator>
+#include <map>
 #include <string>
+#include <utility>
+#include <vector>
 
 namespace qdb
 {
@@ -41,6 +46,8 @@ namespace qdb
 namespace detail
 {
 
+inline constexpr const char * timestamp_column_name = "$timestamp";
+
 inline std::string type_to_string(qdb_ts_column_type_t t)
 {
     switch (t)
@@ -144,11 +151,71 @@ static inline std::vector<qdb_ts_column_info_t> convert_columns(
 
     return res;
 }
+
+static inline bool is_timestamp_column(column_info const & column)
+{
+    return column.name == timestamp_column_name;
+}
+
+static inline void validate_timestamp_column(column_info const & column, std::size_t idx)
+{
+    if (column.type != qdb_ts_column_timestamp) [[unlikely]]
+    {
+        throw qdb::invalid_argument_exception{"column '" + column.name + "' must have type timestamp"};
+    }
+
+    if (column.symtable.empty() == false) [[unlikely]]
+    {
+        throw qdb::invalid_argument_exception{
+            "column '" + column.name + "' cannot define a symbol table"};
+    }
+
+    if (idx != 0) [[unlikely]]
+    {
+        throw qdb::invalid_argument_exception{
+            "column '$timestamp' must be the first column in the table schema"};
+    }
+}
+
+static inline bool find_timestamp_column(const std::vector<column_info> & columns)
+{
+    for (std::size_t idx = 0; idx < columns.size(); ++idx)
+    {
+        auto const & column = columns[idx];
+        if (!is_timestamp_column(column)) continue;
+
+        validate_timestamp_column(column, idx);
+        return true;
+    }
+    return false;
+}
+
+static inline std::vector<qdb_ts_column_info_ex_t> convert_create_columns_ex(
+    const std::vector<column_info> & columns)
+{
+    std::vector<qdb_ts_column_info_ex_t> res;
+    res.reserve(columns.size() + 1);
+
+    bool has_timestamp_column = find_timestamp_column(columns);
+    if (has_timestamp_column == false)
+    {
+        res.push_back(qdb_ts_column_info_ex_t{
+            timestamp_column_name,
+            qdb_ts_column_timestamp,
+            nullptr,
+        });
+    }
+
+    std::transform(columns.cbegin(), columns.cend(), std::back_inserter(res),
+        [](const column_info & ci) -> qdb_ts_column_info_ex_t { return ci; });
+
+    return res;
+}
+
 static inline std::vector<qdb_ts_column_info_ex_t> convert_columns_ex(
     const std::vector<column_info> & columns)
 {
     std::vector<qdb_ts_column_info_ex_t> res(columns.size());
-
     std::transform(columns.cbegin(), columns.cend(), res.begin(),
         [](const column_info & ci) -> qdb_ts_column_info_ex_t { return ci; });
 
@@ -159,7 +226,6 @@ static inline std::vector<column_info> convert_columns(
     const qdb_ts_column_info_ex_t * columns, size_t count)
 {
     std::vector<column_info> res(count);
-
     std::transform(columns, columns + count, res.begin(),
         [](const qdb_ts_column_info_ex_t & ci) { return column_info{ci}; });
 
diff --git a/quasardb/table.hpp b/quasardb/table.hpp
index b8ff0b71..5e3541be 100644
--- a/quasardb/table.hpp
+++ b/quasardb/table.hpp
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ class table : public entry
             ttl_ = ttl.count();
         }
 
-        const auto c_columns = detail::convert_columns_ex(columns);
+        const auto c_columns = detail::convert_create_columns_ex(columns);
         qdb::qdb_throw_if_error(*_handle, qdb_ts_create_ex(*_handle, _alias.c_str(), shard_size.count(),
                                               c_columns.data(), c_columns.size(), ttl_));
     }
@@ -325,14 +325,14 @@ static inline void register_table(Module & m)
 
     py::class_<qdb::table, qdb::entry>{m, "Table", "Table representation"}
         .def(py::init([](py::args, py::kwargs) {
-	    throw qdb::direct_instantiation_exception{"conn.table(...)"};
-	    return nullptr;
+            throw qdb::direct_instantiation_exception{"conn.table(...)"};
+            return nullptr;
         }))
         .def("__repr__", &qdb::table::repr)
-        .def("create", &qdb::table::create, py::arg("columns"),
+        .def("create", &qdb::table::create, //
+            py::arg("columns"),             //
             py::arg("shard_size") = std::chrono::hours{24},
-            py::arg("ttl")        = std::chrono::milliseconds::zero()
-            )
+            py::arg("ttl")        = std::chrono::milliseconds::zero())
         .def("retrieve_metadata", &qdb::table::retrieve_metadata)
         .def("column_index_by_id", &qdb::table::column_index_by_id)
         .def("column_type_by_id", &qdb::table::column_type_by_id)
@@ -345,12 +345,11 @@ static inline void register_table(Module & m)
         .def("get_ttl", &qdb::table::get_ttl)
         .def("get_shard_size", &qdb::table::get_shard_size)
 
-        .def("reader", &qdb::table::reader,
-            py::kw_only(),
-            py::arg("column_names") = std::vector<std::string>{},
-            py::arg("batch_size")   = std::size_t{0},
-            py::arg("ranges")       = std::vector<py::tuple>{}
-            )
+        .def("reader", &qdb::table::reader,                       //
+            py::kw_only(),                                        //
+            py::arg("column_names") = std::vector<std::string>{}, //
+            py::arg("batch_size")   = std::size_t{0},             //
+            py::arg("ranges")       = std::vector<py::tuple>{})
 
         .def("subscribe", &qdb::table::subscribe)
         .def("erase_ranges", &qdb::table::erase_ranges)
@@ -360,26 +359,21 @@ static inline void register_table(Module & m)
         .def("int64_insert", &qdb::table::int64_insert)
         .def("timestamp_insert", &qdb::table::timestamp_insert)
 
-        .def("blob_get_ranges", &qdb::table::blob_get_ranges,
-            py::arg("column"),
-            py::arg("ranges") = py::none{}
-            )
-        .def("string_get_ranges", &qdb::table::string_get_ranges,
-            py::arg("column"),
-            py::arg("ranges") = py::none{}
-            )
-        .def("double_get_ranges", &qdb::table::double_get_ranges,
-            py::arg("column"),
-            py::arg("ranges") = py::none{}
-            )
-        .def("int64_get_ranges", &qdb::table::int64_get_ranges,
-            py::arg("column"),
-            py::arg("ranges") = py::none{}
-            )
-        .def("timestamp_get_ranges", &qdb::table::timestamp_get_ranges,
-            py::arg("column"),
-            py::arg("ranges") = py::none{}
-        );
+        .def("blob_get_ranges", &qdb::table::blob_get_ranges, //
+            py::arg("column"),                                //
+            py::arg("ranges") = py::none{})
+        .def("string_get_ranges", &qdb::table::string_get_ranges, //
+            py::arg("column"),                                    //
+            py::arg("ranges") = py::none{})
+        .def("double_get_ranges", &qdb::table::double_get_ranges, //
+            py::arg("column"),                                    //
+            py::arg("ranges") = py::none{})
+        .def("int64_get_ranges", &qdb::table::int64_get_ranges, //
+            py::arg("column"),                                  //
+            py::arg("ranges") = py::none{})
+        .def("timestamp_get_ranges", &qdb::table::timestamp_get_ranges, //
+            py::arg("column"),                                          //
+            py::arg("ranges") = py::none{});
 }
 
 } // namespace qdb
diff --git a/tests/test_query.py b/tests/test_query.py
index 23c51c0b..9593adde 100644
--- a/tests/test_query.py
+++ b/tests/test_query.py
@@ -415,5 +415,5 @@ def test_returns_inserted_multi_data_with_star_select(
 
 
 def test_create_table(qdbd_connection, entry_name):
-    query = 'create table "{}" (col int64)'.format(entry_name)
+    query = 'create table "{}" ($timestamp timestamp, col int64)'.format(entry_name)
     _ = qdbd_connection.query(query)