Black Gate (Middle-earth)

Place from Tolkien's Legendarium The Black Gate from Peter Jackson's Return of the King.
Name	Black Gate
Other names	Morannon
Description	Gates to Mordor
Constructed by	Gondor at the same time as the building of Minas Anor and Minas Ithil(later known as Minas Tirith and Minas Morgul).
Realm(s)	Mordor  later Gondor later Mordor
Lord	Sauron later Kings of Gondor later Sauron
Type	Fortress

The Black Gate or Morannon is a location in J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy universe of Middle-earth.

The Black Gate of Mordor is often thought to have been a gate built by Sauron, the Dark Lord of Mordor, to prevent invasion at the gap between the Ered Lithui and the Ephel Dúath. It was actually built by the forces of Gondor to keep all of Mordor's evil inside, shielding the outside from it—and it from the outside. The reconstruction of Minas Ithil, Tower of the Rising Moon, as well as the construction of Cirith Ungol were also done for the same purpose.

Location of the Black Gate in Middle-earth marked in red

However, during the aftermath of the Kin-strife in Gondor the watchfulness of the guards in these strongholds relaxed. Thus the Ringwraiths and Orcs re-entered Mordor, eventually overrunning the garrisons and inhabiting them for themselves. It was at this time that the tower of Minas Ithil was taken by the Nazgûl, having its name changed to Minas Morgul, Tower of Sorcery.

During the War of the Ring, the Army of the West, numbering some 6,000 men, arrived at the Black Gate with the intention of drawing the Eye of Sauron away from Mount Doom, to allow Frodo the Ringbearer to cast the One Ring into the Crack of Doom within it. This they achieved, and the Ring was destroyed in the fires of Mount Doom, following which the Black Gate and the Towers of Teeth immediately collapsed.