Madrid grew around the Manzanares River, which was called Mayrit by early Muslim settlers meaning 'source of water'.Madrid was just a small provincial town, while nearby Toledo was the political and cultural capital of Medieval Castile. Still, remnants of the old walled city are waiting to be found—albeit in some pretty odd places—for those who know where to look.
The medieval town was centered around the present-day Palacio (where the Muslim Alcázar was once located). The easiest place to see remnants of the Muslim wall is on Cuesta de la Vega to the left of the architecturally mediocre Catedral de la Almudena.
