Isabel de Solís

Isabel de Solís (fl. 1485), was the slave concubine and later the consort of Abu l-Hasan Ali, Sultan of Granada. Originally a Christian from Castile, she converted to Islam under the name of Zoraya. She excerted a strong influence over her spouse.

Solis was the daughter of the Castilian noble Sancho Jiménez Solís. She was enslaved during a raid in Castile and taken as a slave to the Alhambra in Granada. Abu l-Hasan Ali fell in love with her and married her, exiling his first spouse Aixa from the palace. Upon her conversion to Islam, she took the name Turai, Soraya or Zoraya. She had two sons with Abu l-Hasan Ali, Nasr and Said. The marriage was unpopular in Granada. In 1482, her spouse was deposed by his first wife Aixa. It is not known what happened to Isabel.

Isabel de Solís has been the inspiration for many authors. Her sons converted to Catholicism after the death of their father and took the names Juan de Granada and Ferdinand de Granada.

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