Career
Betab made an important contribution to the Persian poetry and he commanded great respect among the poets of Kashmir of his time. His poetry reached as far as Central Asia. Some critics have rated Betab"s works at par with the Shahnama of Firdausi.
Betab composed his writings in the form of masnawis which contain historical details of his times (a masnawi is a long epic poem describing the battles fought and past events and may also include philosophical or ethical themes).
lieutenant is believed that Betab travelled to Kabul to meet the general and wazir of Afghanistan Prince Mohammad Akbar Khan. Betab praised his patron Mohammad Akbar Khan in the poem Akbar-nama.
After the change of rulers, Betab visited Lahore for a meeting with Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Following his return from Lahore, Betab composed one more masnawi containing historical details like the other two named Ranjit-nama.
Further eminent historian and author Gwasha Lal Kaul in the same book Encyclopaedia of Kashmir mentions "Jangnama by Taba Ram Turki stands on the same footing as Shahnama of Firdausi". in Kashmiri language Taba is a short name for Aftab (meaning Sun in Persian).
