Torre de la Cautiva

[1]: 195 The Spanish name Torre de la Cautiva, meaning 'Tower of the Captive (Lady)', is a "fanciful" name that does not have a historical reasoning.

[4]: 194  The exact date of the tower's construction or conversion is not known, but because it contains poems by Ibn al-Jayyab it was most likely completed before this poet's death in 1349.

[3]: 278 [5]: 130 [6]: 159  The Torre de la Cautiva was damaged by fire at some point in its history and the floor and ceiling were later restored in the 19th century.

The entrance to the tower, on its south side, is a narrow passage that bends 90 degrees four times before reaching the first hall.

Tile pieces of different colours were arranged to form geometric patterns as well as lines of Arabic calligraphic inscriptions running horizontally above them.

However, they do have windows offering scenic views of the city and landscape beyond the Alhambra, which may suggest that they were an evolution of the mirador or lookout room that can be found in many of the other Nasrid palaces and pavilions of the era.

[3]: 278  A later example of this type of tower palace – and one of the last major Nasrid constructions in the Alhambra – is the Torre de las Infantas which was built or rebuilt by Muhammad VII towards the end of the 14th century.