Three Rings
for the Elven-kings under the sky
for the Elven-kings under the sky
for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone
,Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die
for the Dark Lord on his dark throne
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
Mordor was protected from three sides by large mountain ranges, arranged roughly in a rectangular manner: Ash Mountains in the north, Ephel Dúath in the west and south. In the northwest corner of Mordor the deep valley of Udûn was the only entrance for large armies, and that is where Sauron built Black Gate of Mordor. In front of the Black Gate lay the Dagorlad or the Battle Plain. Sauron's main fortress of Barad-dûr was at the foothills of Ered Lithui. To the southwest of Barad-dûr lay the arid plateau of Gorgoroth and Mount Doom; to the east lay the plain of Lithlad. Mordor's geography was excellent for defense against enemies attacking on all fronts, for nearly unscalable mountains defended Mordor on three sides, while the broken, jagged land of Gorgoroth and Nurn would greatly impede any army that managed to break through.