We first hear of Madrid in historic records, in the 9th century, when Spain was under Islamic rule. Emir Muhammad I commissioned a fortress to be built in the village of Mayrit. It is understood that the name, ‘Mayrit’ means ‘plenty of waterways’ and is a reference to its location on the banks of the river Manzanares. Mayrit or Madrid as it became known, was part of the Islamic world until it was conquered by Alfonso VI of Castile in 1083.