Qayaam Gah

In Sufism, qayaam is the highest station on the inner journey: first comes sukoon, the unshakeable peace, and in time that matures into qayaam, the experience of unity with everything. ABChapri Retreats, who built the Neeleshwar Hermitage on Kerala’s Malabar coast, chose the word for their Kashmir retreat, and the place is built to earn it.

Qayaam Gah sits on a secluded ridge high above Dal Lake with the rugged Zabarwan hills behind. You arrive by a country road that winds through forest and village hamlets, then either walk the last stretch through pastures or take the retreat’s jeep. From the verandas the whole Vale of Kashmir opens up: shikaras drifting between houseboats, stilted lakeside hamlets, floating gardens, and Hazratbal shrine reflected in the water on the far shore.

There are seven places to sleep. Four free-standing villas, each 737 square feet with a 380-square-foot bedroom, a large bathroom and a 192-square-foot veranda giving 180-degree views of the lake and mountains, are named for Sufi poetesses and mystics: Habba Khatoon, Lal Ded, Rumi and Rabia. Three suites of 647 square feet, Hafiz, Shamas and Mahjoor, add a family-residence style sitting and study area, and one pair interconnects as a two-bedroom suite. All have king-size beds, traditional Kashmiri carpets, deodar woodcarving in floral motifs, and Bukhari wood-burning stoves for snowy nights.

The buildings are cedar, glass and stone, designed so the boundary between inside and outside hardly exists; the retreat says not one tree was felled in construction and the grounds were left undisturbed for the birds, and for the bears that come for the cherries in spring. Natural spring water is piped down from the mountains behind and feeds a heated infinity pool. Above the pool, up through terraced plum and cherry orchards, sits Ruh (the soul): restaurant, living space and library in one, with wraparound windows, a terrace for summer, a Bukhari stove for winter, and a menu built on local flavours with vegetables and herbs from the retreat’s own organic gardens and fish from the lake below. Qalb, a viewpoint with 360-degree views, serves dawn breakfasts, afternoon tea, sundowners and private moonlit dinners with live music.

Days run to hill walks and nature trails, treks over the Zabarwan to Dachigam National Park, the Mughal gardens, and heritage sites around the city; yoga and fitness retreats are offered in honour of the valley’s Sufi and Shaivite traditions. Qayaam Gah is featured in the Condé Nast Traveller Black Book. Rates are not published on the retreat’s site; we are contracting directly with ABChapri and quote on enquiry.