Minas Morgul

Minas Morgul, "the Tower of Sorcery", was a city of Gondor in the vale beneath the Mountains of Shadow that fell into the hands of the enemy and became a haunt of the Ringwraiths. Once a fair fortress of the Dúnedain, it became one of the darkest places in Middle-earth.

History

The city was built by the men of Gondor in the early Third Age and was first named Minas Ithil, "the Tower of the Rising Moon". It stood as a watch-tower facing Mordor, a sister-city to Minas Anor (later Minas Tirith) on the western side of the Anduin. In it was kept one of the palantíri, the Seeing-stones.

In the wars that followed the fall of the kingdom of Arnor, the Ringwraiths, the Nazgûl, captured Minas Ithil. They took the city and its palantír, and it was thereafter called Minas Morgul. The valley about it grew foul and corrupt, lit by a pale and corpse-like glow, and the river Morgulduin ran poisoned from it.

The War of the Ring

Minas Morgul served as the lair of the Witch-king of Angmar, lord of the Nazgûl, who rode forth from it at the head of a great host to assail Gondor. It was past the city, by the secret stair and the pass of Cirith Ungol, that Frodo and Samwise were led by Gollum into Mordor, passing the lair of the spider Shelob.

After the War of the Ring, King Aragorn ordered the evil city to be destroyed, for the memory of its corruption ran too deep for it to be inhabited again.