Muralla Árabe — Remains of the Arab Wall of Mayrit

Where Madrid began

Madrid's origins are Islamic. Founded as Mayrit (مجريط) around 860 CE under the Emir Muhammad I of Córdoba, the city grew around a hilltop alcázar and its defensive wall.

The surviving stretch of the Muralla Árabe, beside the Cuesta de la Vega and the Parque del Emir Mohamed I, is the oldest visible monument in the city — a direct link to al-Andalus and the meaning of the name Mayrit ("place of water channels").

Visit in the early morning light, then walk up to the Almudena and the views over the Manzanares valley.