A Guided tour of Minas Tirith

Arriving at the Rammas Echor, you are greeted by a Ranger who asks for your name and the nature of your visit. After he verifies that you come in peace, you are asked to wait until an escort can arrive to lead you to the Great Gate. Within minutes, a figure rides up astride a black Freisian stallion and offers the fist-to-chest salute of Gondor's Rangers.

"Greetings, friends. My name is Hoyamir Saxalein, and I welcome you to Minas Tirith...though you're not quite there yet. Please, follow me." He waits until everyone is ready to proceed and then sets his horse moving at a gentle gait, encouraging everyone to gather around him as they ride toward the White City.

"As I said, we've not yet reached Minas Tirith proper. The area we're in now is called the Pelennor Fields." He points out the various uses of the land by the farmers and herdsmen who dwell there, and he can't help but let his mind wander back to the final days of the War of the Ring. "My father tells tales of looking out from the walls of the White City and seeing the Pelennor empty of all life before they were overrun by the servants of Saruon. These days, of course, the men and women living on the Pelennor have worked hard to restore the Fields to their former glory."

"If you look around us as we go, you'll see townlands and farmlands that are the envy of all of Middle Earth. The soil here is extremely fertile, and much of the White City's food supply is grown or raised right here under the watchful eyes of Their Majesties' loyal subjects. For this reason, the Rammas Echor has remained in place and even been restored. And to this day, the Roquen Division of Gondor's Elite Ranger Corps maintains patrols here to ensure the continued safety of those who choose to dwell outside the walls of the White City itself."

As Hoyamir has been speaking, the long slopes and terraces of the Pelennor Fields have been passing by on either side of the small group. He occasionally takes an opportunity to point out a particularly noteworthy location or a small monument, like the ones that commemorated the fall of Theoden, King of Rohan, and the defeat of the Witch-King of Angmar. But the Battle of the Pelennor Fields had encompassed the entirety of the Fields, and there is simply not enough time to acknowledge every spot where an act of particular heroism or malice occurred. Ahead of them, Minas Tirith itself has been growing increasingly larger, and now it all but fills their fields of vision. The journey to the White City is almost at an end when your guide speaks again.

"We will arrive at the Great Gate of the city soon enough. When we get there, take a moment to appreciate the craftsmanship of the Gate itself. It has been wrought of mithril by Dwarven smiths of unsurpassed skill, and it is all the more impressive that their handiwork was done to repair the original gates which were destroyed in the siege of Minas Tirith."

"It appears that we have reached our destination," he says, as he dismounts and provides the passwords that cause the Rangers on duty to open the Great Gate for their guests. "I always enjoy a chance to discuss the Pelennor Fields with newcomers. I hope you enjoy the White City and all that she has to offer!" As expected, the Queen herself waits there, eager to greet the newcomers and guide them on a tour of Minas Tirith itself. With a bow to his Queen and a salute to those he has just travelled with, he climbs back into the saddle and rides away, leaving them in the capable hands of the Queen.

Minas Tirith by John Howe

After thanking the Ranger Commander and Bard of Minas Tirith for bringing you safely to the Gate, the Queen hands you a map and as you step inside the Great Gate she begins to tell you about the Kingdom of Minas Tirith...

Minas Tirith is the seven-tiered citadel of the Kings of Gondor, originally named Minas Anor. After the destruction of Osgiliath, Minas Tirith became the seat of power in the South-kingdom. We are located here, beneath Mount Mindolluin in Anórien, on the western banks of the Anduin in Gondor. Mount Mindolluin is 700 feet tall. The White City is about 3100 feet wide across the widest point. It was built by Elendil and his sons who escaped the wreck of Númenor. With his sons, Isildur and Anárion, they fled to Middle-earth and here founded the kingdoms of Arnor and Gondor.

'Minas Tirith' was the name given to this city after the capture of Minas Ithil by the Nazgûl in 2002 (Third Age). The city itself, though, was much older - as Minas Anor, it had stood since the late Second Age, and was some 2,100 years old when it was renamed. The choice of this name was almost certainly influenced by the 'tower of guard' that had stood in Beleriand some 5,000 years earlier - the Minas Tirith built by Finrod to guard the Pass of Sirion. The name means 'tower of the guard' and it has remained since before the War of the Ring and beyond.

If you look at your
map

Map by Aislynn Breanna

you can see the fashion of Minas Tirith was such that it was built on seven levels, each delved into the hill, and about each was set a wall, and in each wall was a gate. But the gates were not set in a line: the Great Gate in the City Wall was at the east point of the circuit, but the next faced south, and the third half north, and so to and fro upwards; so that the paved way that climbed towards the Citadel turned first this way and then that across the face of the hill. And each time that it passed the line of the Great Gate it went through an arched tunnel, piercing a vast pier of rock whose out-thrust bulk divided in two all the circles of the City save the first. For partly in the primeval shaping of the hill, partly by the mighty craft and labour of old, there stood up from the rear of the wide court behind the Gate a towering bastion of stone, its edge sharp as a ship-keep facing east. Up it rose, even to the level of the topmost circle, and there was crowned by a battlement; so that those in the Citadel might, like mariners in a mountainous ship, look from its peak sheer down upon the Gate seven hundred feet below. The entrance to the Citadel also looked eastward, but was delved in the heart of the rock; thence a long lamp-lit slope ran up to the seventh gate. Thus men reached at last the High Court and the Place of the Fountain before the feet of the White Tower: tall and shapely, fifty fathoms from its base to the pinnacle, where the banner of the Stewards floated a thousand feet above the plain.

Arwen smiles at you and begins to guide you through the first circle, talking a bit about the city as she goes and pointing out various landmarks...

"Minas Tirith is an amazing city full of life and activity. There are homes, businesses, places of relaxaction and training. We have cultural activities and a full range of opportunities to meet almost any interest and need. As we leave the Great Gate this broad way we are walking on is the Rath Celerdain. This is the main street on the first level of Minas Tirith. It is also called 'Lampwrights Street' named for the rows of bright lamps taht line the road and are lit every night."

"Here you see the Old Guesthouse," the Queen said pointing to a large building of grey weathered stone. It had two wings running back from the street, and between them a narrow greensward, behind which was the many windowed house, fronted along its whole width by a pillared porch and a flight of steps down on to the grass. "It was here that Pippin met Bergil and the children at the prompting of Beregond soon after arriving in the White City with Gandalf long ago in the third age."

The Queen continues to lead you down the street and she points to a tall building made of stone with considerable greensward to the side and behind. "This is the Ranger Barracks. It is the living quarters of Minas Tirith's elite army...the Rangers. The Barracks have living quarters for 5 of the 6 divisions. Many of the elite Hyandaner, Roquen, Cúner, Ehtyar and Pelecconer eat, sleep and relax here when not on duty.Here full division members live and train together. "

The Queen continues to lead you northward deeper into the first circle a little ways until you are at the Northernmost part of the city ."Here is the entrance to the Rangers' Headquarters." she says. You see a large stone building with a unique architectural design that gives the it the look of a six-pointed star. "The Headquarters is positioned here at True North in the First Circle and it's rear contains the Training Grounds which extend to the Western most side of the City. I'll take you there next. The building was designed with this shape to represent the six different divisions of the Rangers and placed here as the North Star of the City," Arwen Explains. She then points to the small courtyard at the front of it with an eight-foot stone fence that connects to the inner and outer walls of the first circle. Next to the entrance is a golden plaque that reads 'Ranyarimen' and, below that, 'In Honor of Faramir, Prince of Ithilien.' Through the gate you can see a large cobbled path that runs up to a large oak door set into the stone wall. A pair of iron hinges span the width of the door, strengthening it further, and a peephole blends into the grain of the wood, making it all but invisible to those who are unaware of its presence.

"The Training Grounds can be reached through the back door. It is impossible to look in from the outside. The stone fence comes to twenty feet here with no footholds or other items to help someone climb over the wall. Large elm trees grow here with young trainees hidden among them, working on their stealth and playing hide-and-seek. Green fields cover some of the expanse of ground set aside, with sandy areas for sparring and training." You see many groups of young trainees are practicing with their instructors, and a few older Rangers are fine-tuning their skills with bow, sword, spear, and axe. "As well as being Queen of this wonderful city, I'm also the Heru Envinyatar or Master Healer. Over there on the Far West side is an area in the training grounds set aside for the healing quarters." The Arwen smiles and whispers, "I've oft wondered if they put it on the 'Far West' side so I'm closer to Valinor that way." She laughs and bids you follow as she crosses the grounds and opens the door to the healing quarters. Inside the small building is a large room where many camp cots are scattered around. A few sick Rangers are lying down (some asleep), but no serious injuries can be seen. The Queen and Master Healer excuses herself to check on them and then in a short while she returns to you and continues the tour.

When you have arrived back at the Great Gate Arwen motions to the road continuing southward around the first circle and guides you that direction. "You can see we have many warehouses and industrial areas in this circle. There are modest scatterd homes here as well. The Import / export between Minas Tirith and Harlond as well as other places require much in the way of industry. You will find this is where most of that business happens as well as providing for the White City itself".

As you arrive at the southeastern part of the first circle you see a gate that opens to the northwest. "Here is where we leave the first circle and move into the second. Follow me..."