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The Kashmir Timeline

Habba Khatoon

The poet remembered as the Nightingale of Kashmir.

Habba Khatoon photograph

Photo: Valentine Cameron Princep · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons

Tradition tells of a village girl named Zoon, famous for her singing, who became the queen of Yusuf Shah Chak and took the name Habba Khatoon. After he was taken into exile by the Mughals she is said to have wandered the Valley singing of her loss. Her songs of love and longing helped shape the Kashmiri lol, the lyric of yearning.

Facts

  • A mountain in the Gurez valley is named after her.
  • Her songs are still performed at weddings and gatherings.