Minas Tirith

Minas Tirith (Sindarin for "Watch Tower") is a city in the Middle-earth universe of J. R. R. Tolkien. It is also called Mundburg in the language of the Rohirrim.

In the First Age, Minas Tirith was the Tower built by Finrod Felagund on Tol Sirion to watch over the northern passes of the River Sirion. It was taken by Sauron and recovered thanks to Beren, Lúthien and Huan. Not to be confused with the Minas Tirith of the Third Age, both locations were in different places and never coexisted in time (since the Minas Tirith on the island of Tol Sirion was destroyed at the end of the First Age, with the sinking of Beleriand).

In the Third Age, the capital city of the kingdom of Gondor was called Minas Tirith. Originally it was known as Minas Anor (Tower of the Sun, in Sindarin), adopting the new name after the change of capital, after the decline of the old capital Osgiliath.

Its construction dates from 3320 of the Second Age under the rule of Anárion, brother of Isildur and second son of Elendil. Ostoher rebuilt the city in Third Age 420, and it gradually became more important than Osgiliath, the original capital. King Tarondor changed the king's residence permanently to the city in 1540.

Minas Tirith is surrounded by the Rammas Echor, a great ringed wall that encircles the Pelennor Fields. This wall was built by Ecthelion II, father of Denethor II, but it did not prove to be a good defense against the legions of Orcs from Mordor. The city itself was built on Guard Hill, which in turn was supported by a cliff that rose up to the wall of the Sixth Level and formed part of the eastern slope of Mount Mindolluin.. At the time of the War of the Ring, its population was around ten thousand inhabitants.^{[citation required]}

The city is divided into seven levels, each 100 feet high, surrounded by white stone walls. The doors that connect to each level face in different directions (the Great Door, the door of the lowest level, was oriented towards the east) making a zig-zag so that the entrance of the enemies is slower. On the seventh level is the Citadel with the White Tower of Ecthelion, three hundred feet high. After the battle against the army of Mordor, and the destruction of the Great Gate in the wall by the Witch-king of Angmar, it is said that a contingent of dwarves led by Gimli repaired the gate with mithril.

Tolkien's description of the physical form of Minas Tirith is closely followed by Peter Jackson in his film The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. However, in the book the Citadel is not the site of Aragorn's coronation, which actually occurs on the esplanade outside Minas Tirith, and he later enters the city as king.

Places of Minas Tirith

The following are some of the important places in the city of Minas Tirith:

The Citadel

The highest site in the City of Minas Tirith, located in the Seventh Circle of the City. There stood the King's House, the White Tower, the Spring Square, the Guest House and Merethrond, as well as other buildings that served for the use of the Company of the Guard. It was reached after passing through the Seventh Gate; that it was "(...)surrounded by smooth walls, strong columns, and the majestic and crowned head of a king carved in the arcade..."

The "Embraze"

On the eastern spur of Guard Hill in the circle, where the Citadel wall stood, was this opening, on a crenellated parapet from which one could see much of the realm of Gondor. It was Pippin's and Beregond's favorite place, after they left duty, to rest and talk.

The Stables

They were located in the Seventh Circle of the city of Minas Tirith, outside the Citadel. There were also the rooms of the men who officiated as the Seneschal's Post Office. Very well fed and cared for was in that place Shadowfax, the mearh.

The Houses of Healing

This was the place in the city of Minas Tirith where the sick and wounded in battle were cared for. They were near the Citadel in the Sixth Circle of the City, almost bordering the South wall. It was surrounded by gardens and a wooded meadow. There Faramir, Éowyn, and Merry were treated for their serious injuries by the skillful hands of King Elessar (Aragorn), who with the help of Athelas, saved the lives of these heroes.

The Cemetery of Kings and Stewards

The Cemetery was also located in the Sixth Circle of the City and was the place where the tombs of the kings and their stewards were. It was located on the narrow neck of land that connected the precipices of Mindolluin with the sixth wall. To get there, one went through a gate at the back of that wall, called Fen Hollen, then followed a path lined with walls and balusters, ending at Rath Dinen. There, among domes and statues of important dead, was, among others, the Casa de los Senescales, mortuary house.

Fen Hollen

The “Closed Door”, so called because it was only opened for funerals; and it could only be used by the Lord of the City. It was guarded by the Guard of the Tombs, who also guarded the dwellings of the dead. There Denethor II took his dying son Faramir to be cremated with him and there, Beregond fought and killed the Guardian, to allow the passage of him and Pippin's, in their attempt to save the second son of the Steward of Gondor.

Rath Dinen

Rath Dínen, the 'street of silence', a long, wide street that 'among pale domes, empty halls, and effigies of men dead in days long past', led through the graveyard of kings and seneschals.

Mortuary House of the Stewards

It was a long vaulted-ceilinged chamber, decorated with tapestries, shrouds, and statues of dead Stewards. Along its entire length were numerous rows of carved white marble tables, where corpses were deposited, which were placed fully dressed in all their ornaments, with their arms crossed on their chests and their heads resting on a white stone pillow.. There Denethor sacrificed himself, on a pyre made on what would have been her death table. The fire, which soon covered the entire House, caused its collapse.

Old Inn

Located in the First Circle, of the city, on Rath Celerdain, the Street of the Lampmen. It was a stone building with numerous windows and two side wings, with a small meadow in front, the façade was occupied by a portico supported by columns, as well as a staircase that descended to the street.

In times of peace it was a lodging place for travelers; but at the time of the War of the Ring, all those people who fulfilled various functions for the soldiers were staying, since the city had been evacuated of all its inhabitants. It was the place where Pippin met Bergil, the son of Beregond.

The Great Gate

The Great Gate or Gate of Minas Tirith was located at the eastern end of the City's First Circle Wall, that is, the Outer Wall. It consisted of two huge iron-forged gates with steel studs taken in the wall and guarded by two tall towers on each side and stone bastions on the wall, which was extremely high and very solid and built of a hard, smooth stone, like the one Orthanc was built with. A complete Garrison was in charge of guarding and moving the Gate. On the outer side, there were guard booths and a wide paved space where all the routes to Minas Tirith arrived. On the inner side there was a square just behind the Great Gate and a wide street, Rath Celerdain, ran the length of the wall and led towards the gate. After its destruction it was rebuilt in steel and mithril, at the beginning of the Fourth Age.