Moorish geographers make no mention of the Alconétar Bridge, even though they praise the Roman bridge of Alcántara which also leads across the Tagus. There is some evidence that a community called Alconétar, Alconétara or Alcontra (Arabic: "small bridge") existed at least temporarily – probably an indirect reference to the high-rising bridge of Alcántara. It also remains unknown why the bridge of Alconétar is called "Puente de Mantible" in the local vernacular, an expression which alludes to the legend of Charlemagne and his Twelve Paladins.