This study explores notions of captivity in a comparative study of Arabic, Malay and Persian travel writing. It looks at narratives of captivity as well as travelogues from the 15th to 20th centuries with a particular focus on how they comprehend captivity not merely as physical but also as conceptual and dogmatic (or ideological). It analyses comparatively seven works from the three narrative traditions by using Mikhail Bakhtin's theory of dialogism to explore the interplay of captivity and freedom throughout the narratives. The introduction explains the research background, problems, theory, methodology and the concepts of captivity in this study. Chapter one presents the overview of captivity narratives and travel writing in Arabic Ri?lah, Malay Kembara and Persian Safarnamah. By commencing the exploration of captivity within the theme of travel, chapter two provides the foundation upon which the other chapters rest. Chapters three through five are dedicated to the analysis of the various notions of captivity according to different dimensions, namely the physical, the mind, the nation and the soul. The conclusion section analyses all notions of captivity derived from the selected travel narratives, presents findings regarding the concept of captivity awareness (the ability to recognise or acknowledge notions of imprisonment) and recommends future collaborative studies of Arab, Malay and Persian literature. This study proves that although travel is normally synonymous with freedom in movement, maturity and wisdom, travel writing becomes a potential site to discover and understand various concepts of captivity either directly or indirectly.