The Infants’ Tower

Leaving the Captive’s Tower behind while following the wall along the Promenade of the Towers, the visitor will come to a slope and the Infants’ Tower, the structural characteristics of which are similar to those of the Captive’s Tower.

The triple bent entrance is under a large dome with painted stalactite in imitation of red bricks with white markings. The central court, with a small polygonal marble fountain, provides access to the main rooms, the most important of which is situated in the rear. The rooms are reached by crossing a commonly used framed arch, with steel plates and jambs.

The court, which originally had a lantern and a stalactite dome, and is now a modern wooden ceiling, is opened onto by mullioned windows.

Although the Infants’ Tower is conceptually similar to the Captive’s Tower, authors who have written on the subject agree that the decoration is representative of a period of decadence in the late 14th century and early 15th century, coinciding with the reign of sultan Muhammad VII (1392-1408).

The tower was the setting for the famous tale of the three princesses, Zaida, Zorayda and Zorahaida, narrated in the Washington Irving’s Tales of the Alhambra. Reading Irving’s text, one can appreciate the romance that was experienced in this tower perhaps more than anywhere else in the Alhambra.