Description
The name Minas Tirith means "The Tower of Guard" or "The Tower of Watch" in the Elvish language Sindarin. It was originally named Minas Anor, "The Tower of the Setting Sun", in connection with Minas Ithil, "The Tower of the Rising Moon". Minas Ithil was later conquered by orcs from Mordor and was renamed Minas Morgul, "The Tower of Black Sorcery".
Minas Tirith was built culminating in the Citadel at the summit. Each of the seven levels stood 100 ft (30 m) higher than the one below it, each surrounded by a white wall, with the exception of the wall of the First Circle, which was black. The outer face of this outer wall, the lowest, was made of black stone, the same material used in Orthanc; it was vulnerable only to earthquakes capable of rending the ground where it stood.
Each wall held a gate, and each gate faced a different direction.
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