Muslim Walls of Madrid: Difference between revisions

Overview of the remains preserved on Cuesta de la Vega, near the crypt of the La Almudena Cathedral.

The Muslim Walls of Madrid, and some vestiges remain, is located in the Spanish city of Madrid and it is probably the oldest building on foot in the city. It was built in the 9th century, during the Muslim domination of the Iberian Peninsula, on a promontory next to Manzanares river. It was part of a fortress around which it developed the urban nucleus of Madrid. It was declared Artistic-Historic Monument in 1954.

The remains of utmost importance, with a more archaeological than artistic interest, are in the Cuesta de la Vega, next to the crypt of the Almudena Cathedral. Have been built in the park of Mohamed I, named in reference to Muhammad I of Córdoba, considered the founder of the city.

In the Calle Mayor, in the number 83, next to Viaduct that saves the Calle de Segovia, are still standing the ruins of the Tower of Narigües, which probably it would have been a albarrana tower, with a separate location of the wall itself, but connected thereto through a wall. Its function was to serve as knoll.

In the 20th century, some remains were destroyed. The rests existing to the number 12 of the Calle de Bailén were lost with the construction of an apartment block, although some walls were integrated into the building structure, as its bottom. The remodeling of the Plaza de Oriente, completed in 1996 during the term of José María Álvarez del Manzano, meant the discovery and subsequent disappearance of numerous remains. Is not the case of the watchtower known as Tower de los Huesos, whose base is on display in the underground car park of the same plaza.

Between 1999 and 2000 was uncovered another section, about 70 m long, under the Plaza de la Armería, formed by the main facades of Royal Palace and Almudena Cathedral. It was excavated during the construction works of the Museum of Royal Collections (unfinished) and may correspond to the Puerta de la Sagra, one of the gates to the walled enclosure.

Historical Context

Walled enclosures in Al-Andalus

Detail drawing by Anton van den Wyngaerde in 1562, where seen the Muslim Walls of Madrid, from the disappeared Alcázar to the left, until the Puerta de la Vega, to the right.

When studying the Muslim urbanism it is necessary in the first instance to avoid a number of very usual platitudes on the subject. First, far from what is usually said to compare the Muslim with the Christian cities, the firsts is not a cluster of buildings without any order. On the contrary, because, as Torres Balbás says, "The islamization was a uniform urban mold, result of a way of life." For example, the finding of winding streets responds to a context in which the defense is a fundamental necessity.

With respect to the Walls, it fulfills several functions. The Muslim cities have as core a medina, which were, among other buildings, the main mosque, the hammam, and it is surrounded by a wall, is deducted the defensive, symbolic and administrative function that follows the walled enclosure. In Madrid occur the same, and the Walls was called to protect the fundamental area of ​​the city -not only abroad, but also of potential internal revolts from the suburbs (also possibly walled)-, to through the Walls a differentiation of spaces, to thanks to the gates -three in this case- it could do a tax control.

Thus, the city was divided between medina or center of religious and commercial life, and rabad, the "populous neighborhoods outside the walls". From a planning point of view, the Walls condition the urbanism through its gates and its path: its gates because through of it would run the streets of greater affluence and its layout because the neighborhoods would range around it.

In this section could also talk about the different proposals when lifting a Walls, from the materials used to model to suit the terrain. However, there many models as cases.

The Medieval Madrid

Drawing of the Royal Alcázar of Madrid of J. Cornelius Vermeyenen, made around 1534-1535. On the left side is observed part of the Muslim Walls, in the 16th century, had a visible state of deterioration.

The construction of this Walls is directly linked to the origin of Madrid. It was ordered built by the Córdoban emir Muhammad I (852 - 886) on an unspecified date between the years 860 and 880, according to a text of al-Himyari. It was in an area not chosen by chance. It was a wide cultivated valley and easy access to water reserves It defended the almudaina or Muslim citadel of Mayrit (first name of the city), located on the site currently occupied by the Royal Palace.

According to Muslim chroniclers of the time, the Walls had a great quality in its built and its supplies. The historian Jerónimo de Quintana echoed these accounts in the following text of the 17th century "very strong of masonry and mortar, raised and thick, twelve feet [almost three and half meters] in width, with large cubes, towers gatehouses and moats".

The fortified complex had as mission to monitor the river path of the Manzanares, which connected the steps of the Sierra de Guadarrama with Toledo, threatened by the incursions of the Christian kingdoms of north peninsular. It was governed as a ribat or community religious and military at the same time.

The Walls of Mayrit was integrated within a complex defensive system, which extended through different parts of Community of Madrid. These include that of Talamanca del Jarama, that of Qal'-at'-Abd-Al-Salam (Alcalá de Henares) and that of Qal'-at-Jalifa (Villaviciosa de Odón). However, do not think Mayrit as a core of large entity, but as one of many that had -so is it that sometimes is difficult to find references to the city in the chronicles-.

In the 10th century the caliph of Córdoba Abd-ar-Rahman III ordered to reinforce the Walls, after suffering several situations of danger, as Christian advance of the King Ramiro II of León in 932. In the year 977, Almanzor chose the fortress of Mayrit as the origin point of his military campaign.

With the Christian conquest of Mayrit in the 9th century, the primitive walled area was expanded, rising one of wider perimeter, known as Christian Walls of Madrid. Thus, the Madrilenian core not lose its defensive function at any time.

The image of Saint Mary the Royal of la Almudena, formerly called Saint Mary la Mayor, was found in 1085 (three centuries after the Christians it hide of Muslims) in the conquest of the city by King Alfonso VI of León and Castile, in one of the hubs of the Walls, near the gate Puerta de la Vega, and placed in the old mosque, for its worship and devotion for the Court and the people of Madrid.