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The Kashmir Timeline

Period 7 of 12

The Chak Dynasty

1561 to 1586

The Chaks, a Kashmiri family, took power from the last Shah Mir sultans. Their short rule is remembered through Yusuf Shah Chak and the poet Habba Khatoon, and it ended when the Mughal emperor Akbar annexed Kashmir in 1586.

2 events · 3 exhibits

Events

  1. 1561

    The Chaks take power

    Ghazi Shah Chak removed the last Shah Mir sultan and founded the Chak dynasty, rule by a Kashmiri family that had grown powerful at court.

  2. late 16th century

    Habba Khatoon's songs

    Tradition

    Habba Khatoon, the poet remembered as the queen of Yusuf Shah Chak, sang of love and longing in Kashmiri. Her songs are still sung, and she is often called the Nightingale of Kashmir.

    In the museumHabba Khatoon

In this wing

Further reading for this period

Books that cover this period. They are places to read further, not sources for any single sentence on this page.

  • Kashmir Under the SultansMohibbul Hasan, 1959
  • A History of KashmirP. N. K. Bamzai, 1962