Madrid is the only western capital founded by Muslims. Emir Mohamed I erected the first building, a fortress from which to defend Toledo. That 'alcázar' (al-qasr), where today stands the Royal Palace, was the origin of Mayrit, the Arabic name from which Madrid was derived. The vestiges of the first wall, the layout of the old medina, the minarets that remain, the water pipes... A surprising discovery.
The most representative remains (a section of more than 120 meters in length) are located in the Emir Mohamed I park, near the Cuesta de la Vega street, next to the Cathedral's Crypt. Metro: Ópera (Lines 2, 5, R). / Bus: 3, 31, 41, 50 , 62, 65, 148, C1, C2.
Or perhaps, originally, old mosque minarets. San Nicolás Church: it's the oldest in all of Madrid after the demolition of the medieval church of Santa María la Real de la Almudena, built on the former Aljama mosque of Mayrit (Plaza de San Nicolás, 6). San Pedro El Viejo Church: Its tower is the oldest part in the building, and could date back to the mid-14th century (Calle del Nuncio, 14).
This popular name is given to the area that occupied the first Muslim settlement that originated Madrid and then Mudejar and Morisco. The original nucleus or Old Morería is located at the foot of the Campillo de las Vistillas, near the Almudena Cathedral and Calle Bailén. From the 15th century it spread with the New Morería between Cuchilleros, Calle de Toledo and Cava of San Miguel. It currently corresponds to the La Latina quarter, one of the liveliest. The highlights of this area are Plaza de la Morería, Plaza del Alamillo and the surrounding streets.
In this museum dedicated to the origins of Madrid you will find the remains found in the three Islamic archaeological sites in the city. Address: Plaza de San Andrés, 2. Free entrance.
This tower is the oldest civil building in Madrid. More than 500 years old, it has the only Morisco limestone arch in the city. The tower and the house, which is later, belonged to an aristocratic family called Lujanes. It is in Plaza de la Villa.
In 2010, an Andalusian-style park dedicated to the city's founder, Emir Muhammad I, was inaugurated close to the Royal Palace and the Cathedral. The remains of the Islamic wall that can be seen here belong to the first walled enclosure of Madrid, built in the 9th century.
Is the tower of the church of San Nicolás, found in the heart of the old Madrid, the minaret of one of the six mosques that were in the Islamic Madrid? It's possible. No doubt that, at least, it's a Mudejar tower built by Muslim masters under the new christian rulers.
In La Latina, today one of the liveliest quarters, was the Mudejar area: the place where the Muslims moved to live after the conquest of Alfonso VI in 1085. There was an Islamic Court, hammam, mosques, a wedding house... The name of some streets recall that past.
We refer to the system of canals to collect underground aquifers that the Arabs brought from Persia to Mayrit in the 9th century. The 124 kilometers of water canals estimated to remain under the asphalt in Madrid were in operation until the late 19th century.
