Rabia Balkhi

Rabia Balkhi, also known as Rabia al-Quzdari (or Khuzdari)^[a] was a 10th-century writer who composed poetry in Persian and Arabic. She is the first known female poet to write in Persian.

A non-mystic poet, her imagery was later transformed into that of a mystic poet by authors such as Attar of Nishapur (died 1221) and Jami (died 1492). She became a semi-legendary figure, famous for her love story with the slave Bektash.

Her shrine is located in the mausoleum of the 15th-century Naqshbandi Sufi Khwaja Abu Nasr Parsa (died 1460) in the city of Balkh, now present-day Afghanistan. She is celebrated in the Balochistan province of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran through various schools, hospitals, and roads being named after her.

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