Minas Ithil neve Másodkor 2002 után, amikor a nazgülok elfoglalták. Innen irányították a Gondor elleni támadásokat. A Gyűrű háború során az itt állomásozó sereg megtámadta Osgiliathot. Minas Morgul látszólag sokban hasonlított Minas Ithilre, de a szépséget felváltotta benne az iszony. A torony legfelső része lassan forgott, falai sápadt, félelmetes fénnyel világítottak. Egyéb nevei: a Varázslat Tornya, a Halott Város.
Minas Ithil - a Hold Tornya - egykor Isildur erődvárosa volt, amely Másodkor 3320-ban az Ephel Dúath nyugati részén épült. Az Árnyékhegység tövében, egy magas fennsíkon állt, délre a Ithilia felé vezető útnál. Egykor gyönyörű volt.
Másodkor 3429-ben Szauron elfoglalta, a Harmadkor elején újra benépesítették,
de sosem lett akkora, mint Minas Anor, mert Isildur örökösei nem itt
éltek. Másodkor 2000-ben a nazgülok megostromolták, két év küzdelem
után elesett. Ez lett a nazgulok, a Kilenc Gyűrűlidérc fészke. Ettől
fogva nevezték Minas Morgulnak
- a Boszorkányság Tornyának.
A város fakó és zöldes lidércfényt áraszt, ablakai helyén rések.
A halott városból kivezető út egyik részénél híd áll, két oldalán csúf,
eltorzult emberek és állatok szobraival. A híd alatt a vízből mérgező
gázok szállnak felfelé. Komor és vészjósló hely.
A Gyűrű háború után ismét Minas Ithil lett a neve, de nem népesült be újra. Egy palantírt őriztek itt, amit a nazgülok megszereztek, és elvittek Baraddűrba. Másik neve: a Felkelő Hold Tornya, vagy a Hold Tornya.
Situated in an upland valley at the feet of the Mountains of Shadow, the city of Minas Ithil overlooked the region of Ithilien and controlled the only easily accessible pass through the mountains that led into Mordor, the pass of Cirith Ungol.
Minas Ithil was founded in the Second Age by the Númenorean, Isildur, son of Elendil, as a fortress city to defend Gondor from Sauron in Mordor. Isildur made his home in Minas Ithil, while Isildur's brother Anarion dwelled across the Anduin in Minas Anor. In front of his house, Isildur planted a sapling of the White Tree, which he had rescued from the Downfall of Numenor, and in the tower was kept one of the Palantíri called the Ithil-stone.
In its heyday Minas Ithil was described as a beautiful sight, with moonlight filling its inner courts with silver light and causing its walls to gleam silver and white. It was a walled city of white marble built on a high shelf of rock. Within the walls, there were white houses and a tall tower. The walls and the tower had many windows, and the top of the tower revolved slowly back and forth. A road ran from Osgiliath on the Anduin through Ithilien to the city and crossed the Mountains of Shadow into Mordor via the pass.
In SA 3428, Sauron sent a huge army to Minas Ithil and after about a year of seige, it was captured and the Whte Tree was burned(Isildur recovered a sapling and planted it in Minas Anor in TA 2). However, in SA 3430, Anarion recaptured the city, preventing Minas Ithil from being turned into an early Minas Morgul.
After Sauron was defeated in the War of the Last Alliance in SA 3441, a watch was kept from Minas Ithil to prevent the return of evil to Mordor. However, the Great Plague of TA 1636 devastated the population of the city and in the following years its guard upon Mordor slackened.
The Nazgul, led by the Witch-king of Angmar, the chief Nazgul and most fearsome of Sauron's minions, returned to Mordor in 1980 to prepare for Sauron's return. Meanwhile, Gondor had been devastated by many attacks of Mordor's allies, the Wainriders, Variags, and Haradrim, who gained two devastating victories, killed two kings, and conquered almost all the provinces east of the Anduin. Soon Mordor started to attack and conquer parts of Gondor. In TA 2000, the forces of the nine Nazgul laid siege to Minas Ithil. In TA 2002 after a long siege, the city fell and was transformed into a bastion of evil. As a result, it came to be called Minas Morgul, which in Sindarin means Tower of Dark Sorcery. Minas Morgul stood upon the Morgulduin, a polluted tributary of the Anduin.
The Palantir’s (Ithil-stone's) fate was unknown. Many Gondorians believed the guards of the city had destroyed it, but by the nature of the Palantir, this was impossible. Others believed that it was taken to Barad-dur, which became known as the real seat of power in Mordor.
Minas morgul
Terror and war were directed at Gondor from Minas Morgul until Ithilien was deserted. During the War of the Ring, the army that attacked Osgiliath and undertook the Siege of Gondor came from Minas Morgul.
In fashion Minas Morgul seems to have been much like Minas Tirith, only corrupted and hellish. The topmost course of the tower revolved slowly, and the walls were illuminated by a pale luminous glow. Under a white bridge flowed the foulest river in Middle-Earth, the Morgulduin.
The city had a strange watchfulness about it, and intruders to Morgul Vale were always noted. Most who approached the city could not stand to set eyes on it, and felt that they were being watched.
After the War of the Ring, King Elessar counseled Faramir to make his abode in the Emyn Arnen southeast of Minas Tirith, in Ithilien, and decreed that Minal Ithil in Morgul Vale, despoiled by its years as Minas Morgul, be completely destroyed, for although it might in time to come be made clean, no man might dwell there for many long years.
In Peter Jackson's movie adaptation of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Minas Morgul is shown as a massive spectral fortress on the other side of a moat. Frodo is drawn by the power of the Ring, but Sam and Gollum hide him as the Morgul army passes; the Nazgul on their mounts are not seen, except for the Witch-king who is shown to leave the fortress on a Fell Beast.