the "Tower of the Moon", was built on a western spur of the Mountains of Mordor and controlled the fief of Ithilien on the eastern bank of the River Anduin.

When it was built in 3320 of the Second Age, Minas Ithil was the city of the Dúnedain Prince Isildur. Its twin fortress-city of Minas Arnor was built in the same year for his brother, Prince Anárion. While their father Isildur ruled as High King of the Dúnedain from the North Kingdom of Arnor, the brothers jointly governed Gondor. Just a century after it was built, in the year 3429, the forces of Sauron seized Minas Ithil, but at the beginning of the Third Age Isildur restored it. However, as the heirs of Isildur from this time ruled from the North Kingdom of Arnor, its royal status, if not its military significance, diminished thereafter. In the year 2000, Minas Ithil was attacked by the Witch-king of the Nazgûl whose forces poured through the pass of Cirith Ungol out of Mordor. After a siege of two years Minas Ithil fell to the Witch-king and was renamed Minas Morgul.

For more than a thousand years thereafter, it was the main base for Sauron's forces within Gondor and was a constant threat to the survival of the Dúnedain realm. The evil powers were not driven from the fortress-city again until the end of the War of the Ring and although it was once again renamed Minas Ithil, it was never again inhabited by the Men of Gondor.

Click on the high tower of Minas Morgul to return to the dictionary
or
use the back button to return to the previous page