Minas Morgul

Mordor · city

The Dead City: once Minas Ithil, Tower of the Rising Moon, built by Isildur as Gondor's eastern fortress in a valley of the Ephel Dúath facing Minas Anor. Taken by the Nazgûl in T.A. 2002, it became Minas Morgul, the Tower of Sorcery, seat of the Witch-king. Its walls glow with a corpse-pale light, its gate gapes like a mouth, and a bridge of hideous statues crosses the Morgulduin before it. Its host marched on Minas Tirith in T.A. 3019.

Show Minas Morgul on the map

Other names

Minas Ithil · Tower of the Moon · Tower of the Rising Moon · Tower of Sorcery · Tower of Black Sorcery · The Dead City

Region

Mordor

Peoples

Nazgûl, Orcs, Men, Dúnedain

Reading reference

The Lord of the Rings

Recorded period

S.A. 3320 → no recorded end

Chronicle

1. SA 3320 — Isildur founds Minas Ithil as the eastern fortress of Gondor.
2. SA 3429 — Sauron captures Minas Ithil; it is recovered after his fall.
3. TA 2002 — The Nazgûl take Minas Ithil and its palantír; it becomes Minas Morgul.
4. TA 2050 — King Eärnur rides to its gate to answer the Witch-king's challenge and is never seen again.
5. TA 3019 — 10 March: the Morgul-host under the Witch-king marches out to besiege Minas Tirith.

Journeys through Minas Morgul

No mapped journey passes through this place.

Nearby on the schematic map

• Morgul Vale
• Cross-roads
• Ithilien
• Cirith Ungol
• Tower of Cirith Ungol
• Morgai

Sources and further reading

• Tolkien Gateway: Minas Morgul

Chapter references, where supplied, were located through secondary reference material. This page does not claim a fresh verification against every primary text. Report a correction.