History of Madrid "Madrid" evolved from the Mozarabic "Matrit", which is still in the Madrilenian gentilic. The site of modern-day Madrid has been controlled since prehistoric times, and archaeological research found a small Visigothic village nearby. In the mid-9th century, Muhammad I of Córdoba constructed a small castle where the Palacio Real stands today. The Moors built a citadel, al-Mudayna, around this castle. They named the area after the nearby Manzanares River, which the Muslims called al-Majrīṭ (Arabic: "source of water"). From this came the name "Majerit", later spelled "Madrid". The Moors controlled the citadel until Alfonso VI of León and Castile conquered
Madrid system Madrid Agreement were also members of the Madrid Protocol and many of the aspects of the Madrid Agreement ceased to have practical effect). The term 'Madrid Union' can be used to describe those jurisdictions party to either the Agreement or the Protocol (or both). The primary reason the protocol—which has been in operation since 1996 and has 100 members — is more popular than the agreement — which has been in operation for more than 110 years and has 55 members—is that the protocol introduced a number of changes to the Madrid system which significantly enhanced its usefulness to trademark