View source for Khazad-dûm

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{{Location infobox
|name= Khazad-dûm
|image= MoriaStairs.jpg
|location= Beneath the<br/>mountains of<br/>[[Zirakzigil|Celebdil]], [[Caradhras]], and [[Fanuidhol]]
|inhabitants= [[Durin's Folk]] ([[Years of the Trees|YT]] - Early [[Third Age|TA]]), ([[Fourth Age|FO]])<br/>[[Durin's Bane]] ([[Second Age|SA]] - Late TA),<br/>[[Northern Orcs]] ([[Moria-orcs]]) and [[Trolls]] ([[Cave-trolls]]) (Mid TA - Early [[Fourth Age|FO]]),<br/>[[Watcher in the Water]] (Late TA)
|founded/built = Between [[YT 1050]] and [[YT 1250]]<ref>{{CTlink|media=s}}, ''[[Quenta Silmarillion]]'', "[[Of the Sindar]]"</ref>
|ruler = [[King of Durin's Folk]]<br/>[[Lord of Moria]] ([[TA 2989]]-[[TA 2994]])
|names = Moria,<br/>Halls of Durin,<br/>Mines of Moria,<br/>Dwarrowdelf,<br/>Hadhodrond,<br/>The Black Pit
|languages = [[Khuzdûl]],<br/>[[Sindarin]], [[Westron]], [[Black Speech]],<br/>[[Orkish]]
|caption1=Khazad-dûm in {{LotRlink|media=film1}}, after its decline}}

'''Khazad-dûm''', also known as the '''Dwarrowdelf''', the '''Mines of Moria''', or simply '''Moria''', was an underground kingdom beneath the [[Misty Mountains]]. It was known for being the ancient realm of the [[Dwarves]] of [[Durin's Folk]], and the most famed of all Dwarven realms.

== History ==
=== First Age ===
The Dwarrowdelf was founded by [[Durin I|Durin]] 'the Deathless' in the far distant past, long before the creation of the [[Sun]] and [[Moon]] in the [[Years of the Trees]] of the [[First Age]]. Durin had awakened at [[Mount Gundabad]] not long after the [[Elves]] first awoke, and as eldest among the [[Seven Fathers of the Dwarves]] was acknowledged as preeminent among them, a status subsequently inherited by his descendants, the [[King of Durin's Folk|Kings of the Longbeards]].

From Mount Gundabad, Durin made his way south until according to legend, Durin ultimately found "a glen of shadows between two great arms of the mountains, above which three white peaks were shining".<ref name="Tolkien 352">{{LotRlink}}, {{LotRlink|media=book1}}, Book Two, Ch. VI: "[[Lothlórien (chapter)|Lothlórien]]"</ref> Within this heavily wooded valley, a long series of short waterfalls led down to a long, oval lake, which appeared to have a magical quality: "There, like jewels sunk in the deep shone glinting stars, though sunlight was in the sky above".<ref name="Tolkien 352" /> Perceiving these stars as a crown glittering above his head, Durin took this as an auspicious sign, and named the lake [[Kheled-zâram]], the Mirrormere.

The three peaks overshadowing the lake he named ''Barazinbar'' 'the [[Caradhras|Redhorn]]', ''Zirakzigil'' 'the [[Zirakzigil|Silvertine]]' and ''Bundushathûr'', '[[Fanuidhol|Cloudyhead]]'. The icy cold springs below the lake he called ''Kibil-nâla'' (the source of the [[Celebrant|Silverlode]]), and the valley itself he gave the name ''[[Azanulbizar]]'', the Dimrill Dale. Durin chose the eastward-facing caves above Kheled-zâram as the earliest beginnings of his new stronghold.<ref name="lord">[[J.R.R. Tolkien]]. {{LotRlink}}</ref>
[[File:Moria, RD.png|thumb|400x400px|A great hall of Khazad-dûm, imagined by [[Ralph Damiani]]]]
All of these places became revered amongst Durin's people in later days. His descendants erected a rune-carved stone monolith, [[Durin's Stone]], on the site where he had first looked into the Mirrormere, and although it had become indecipherably weatherworn by the end of the [[Third Age]]—broken, cracked and faded—the influence of Durin I, the founding king of Khazad-dûm, was never forgotten.

The long reign of Khazad-dûm's first king was a golden age, remembered as Durin's Day (this name was also applied to the [[Durin's Day|Dwarvish New Year]]). During that period Khazad-dûm grew continuously in size and population, until it became the "greatest of all the mansions of the Dwarves",<ref name="silmarillion">{{CTlink|media=s}}, ''[[Quenta Silmarillion]]'', Chapter X: "[[Of the Sindar]]"</ref> even before the return of the [[Ñoldor]] to [[Middle-earth]]. By that time, Khazad-dûm was already "a name and a rumour from the words of the Dwarves of the [[Blue Mountains]]"<ref name="silmarillion" /> to all the Eldar of [[Beleriand]].

During the reign of Durin the Deathless some of the wonders of Dwarvish architecture were built in Khazad-dûm: [[Bridge of Khazad-dûm|Durin's Bridge]], the Second Hall, the [[Endless Stair]] and [[Durin's Tower]].

After his death, the reputation of Durin's realm continued to grow, not merely due to his spiritual ascendancy over the other Fathers of the Dwarves as their eldest, or to Dwarrowdelf's growing size, but to its great wealth founded upon the uniquely precious metal ''[[mithril]]'', which was universally prized yet found nowhere else in Middle-earth.

Khazad-dûm played no part in the wars of Beleriand, and in fact gained a respite from [[Orcs|Orc]] attacks throughout the [[First Age]], "when [[Melkor|Morgoth]] needed all his strength" elsewhere.<ref name="peoples">{{LotRlink}}, [[Appendix A]], Annals of the Kings and Rulers, III. "Durin's Folk"</ref>

[[File:Moria gate.jpg|thumb|Gates of Moria, and translation of the writing]]
The eventual death of Durin 'the Deathless' occurred before the end of the [[First Age]]. He was buried in a tomb in Khazad-dûm.

=== Second Age ===
Early in the [[Second Age]], Khazad-dûm's realm of Longbeards was enriched in culture, skills, and population by large numbers of refugees from [[Belegost]] and [[Nogrod]], cities ruined at the end of the First Age along with most of Beleriand in the cataclysmic final battle against Morgoth. The Dwarves of Belegost and Nogrod were not Longbeards, but [[Broadbeams]] and [[Firebeards]]. Whether they remained separate clans or groups within their new home, or became merged with the Longbeards, is not known.

With the foundation of the Ñoldorin realm of [[Eregion]] to the west of Khazad-dûm around [[SA 700]],<ref name="Unfinished Tales">{{LotRlink}}, [[Appendix B]], "The Second Age"</ref> friendly relations between the Longbeards and the [[Elves]] were firmly established.

This friendship also resulted in a massive westwards extension of the subterranean realm of Khazad-dûm. Its habitable parts remained in the eastward side, but passages were delved through miles of rock that terminated at a gigantic stone portal—the [[Doors of Durin|West Gate]]. This stood on the borders of Eregion. [[Celebrimbor]], the [[Lord of Eregion]], used ''[[ithildin]]'' lettering on this gate on behalf of its builder: his friend [[Narvi]],<ref>{{CTlink|media=u}}, Part Two: The Second Age, Chapter IV, "[[The History of Galadriel and Celeborn]]"</ref> a great craftsman of Khazad-dûm. The inscription read, ''Im Narvi hain echant. Celebrimbor o Eregion teithant i thiw hin'': "I, Narvi, made them. Celebrimbor of Eregion drew these signs."

The West Gate allowed the Elf lady [[Galadriel]] and her followers to pass eastwards through Khazad-dûm and settle in [[Lothlórien]], downstream of Azanulbizar. Galadriel's presence enabled [[Silvan Elves]] to return to Lothlórien; they had earlier evacuated the area to escape Khazad-dûm's growing power.
[[File:Gandalf in Moria by Matěj Čadil.png|left|thumb|290px|Gandalf illuminating the dark of Moria while leading the [[Fellowship of the Ring (group)|Fellowship]], by [[:Category:Art by Matěj Čadil|Matěj Čadil]]]]
All of the Dwarrowdelf was originally illuminated by many "shining lamps of crystal",<ref name="lord" /> although the halls of the highest level were also lit with windows and shafts carved through the mountain sides. These levels lay between flights of fifty or more stone steps, with seven hollowed out of the mountains above ground level, and many more subterranean levels—or 'Deeps'—beneath the Great Gates at the head of the [[Azanulbizar|Dimrill Dale]]. Every level comprised a multitude of arched passages, chambers and many pillared halls, often with "black walls, polished and smooth as glass".<ref name="lord" /> Below the level of the Gates lay mines, treasuries and even dungeons,<ref name="lord" /> although far below the lowest Deep of Khazad-dûm, lay primordial tunnels in perpetual darkness, gnawed by '[[nameless things]]' that had lived there since the earliest beginnings of [[Arda]]. Few if any actually ever glimpsed these creatures, and no description of them is extant (with the possible exception of the [[Watcher in the Water]], which Gandalf suggested may have come from these regions.)

One important feature of the Dwarrowdelf was the defensive structure known as [[Bridge of Khazad-dûm|Durin's Bridge]], "a slender bridge of stone, without kerb or rail",<ref name="lord" /> that spanned a fifty foot wide chasm of indeterminate depth, allowing enemy soldiers to cross it only in single file (one after another), not side by side. Another, steeped in legend, was the [[Endless Stair]], which ascended "from the lowest dungeon to the highest peak",<ref name="lord" /> where it terminated within [[Durin's Tower]], carved from the solid rock at the tip of [[Zirakzigil]].

In the [[War of the Elves and Sauron]], Eregion was destroyed and the survivors, along with a relief army led by [[Elrond]] were in danger of being overtaken and destroyed. But [[Durin III]] sent an army of Dwarves which attacked the [[Morgul-host]] in the rear, allowing the Elves to escape. Following the battle the Dwarves retreated into their city and closed the gates. It is unclear if the [[Rings of Power|Ring of Power]] possessed by the House of Durin was given to them by [[Sauron]], as the Dwarves themselves held that it had been given by Celebrimbor himself directly to Durin III, although it had certainly been created by the [[Dark Lord]].

Afterwards, Sauron harboured deep hatred for Khazad-dûm and ordered his Orcs to trouble Durin's folk at every turn, even though "the halls of Khazad-dûm were too deep and strong and filled with a people too numerous and valiant for Sauron to conquer from without".<ref name="lord" /> Despite this, "its people began to dwindle"<ref name="peoples" /> from this time. In the reign of [[Durin IV]], the Dwarves joined the [[Last Alliance of Elves and Men]], fighting against Sauron in the [[Battle of Dagorlad]] and [[Siege of Barad-dûr]].

=== Third Age ===
[[File:Balrog - FOTR.png|thumb|left|240px|The Balrog, Durin's Bane]]
Throughout the early [[Third Age]], the Dwarves of Khazad-dûm expanded their treasure, but their numbers continued to dwindle. The majority of their wealth was based on their hoards of [[mithril]], which they mined in their deepest tunnels, and as the centuries went by the Dwarves delved ever deeper for the precious metal.

In [[TA 1980]], they dug too deeply and greedily for mithril and to their loss they unearthed a nameless terror in the depths beneath the city. This dreadful creature wrought destruction throughout the city wiping out most of the Dwarves and slaying King [[Durin VI]].  Thereafter the creature was named [[Durin's Bane]]. The Dwarves tried to fight but the following year Durin's son [[Náin I]] was also slain, forcing the Dwarves to abandon their home for good. After the Dwarves had left, Khazad-dûm gathered dust and stood dark and empty, but for the sinister creature that lurked in the depths. This was when it was named '''Moria''', the Black Pit. 

[[File:Durin's grave.jpg|thumb|205px|Chamber of Mazarbul, Balin's Tomb]]
The monster, later revealed as a [[Balrogs|Balrog]] of Morgoth, dwelled alone in Moria for nearly five centuries until it was populated once again, but not by Dwarves. The [[goblins]], fleeing from the north, began to raid the abandoned city of its treasures and occupied it. They came upon the Balrog but established a sort of uneasy coexistence with it. Sauron started to send out troops of Orcs and [[Cave-trolls]] to populate Moria, making the abandoned city a stronghold for them to multiply. During the [[Battle of Azanulbizar]], many of these Orcs were felled in the valley beneath the [[East-gate of Moria|eastern gate]] of Moria in [[TA 2799]], and the numbers were reduced dramatically. But the Balrog still remained and many Orcs and Trolls with him, and so Khazad-dûm remained a stronghold of evil. 

The [[Order of Wizards|wizard]] [[Gandalf]] entered the city for the first time at some point between [[TA 2845]] and [[TA 2950|TA 2850]] searching for King [[Thráin II]], who had recently disappeared on a journey to the [[Lonely Mountain]]. 

[[File:Fellowship in Moria, Giancola.jpg|left|thumb|400px|The [[Fellowship of the Ring (group)|Fellowship of the Ring]] passing deep within Moria, by [https://donatoarts.com/middle-earth Donato Giancola]]]
==== Balin's expedition ====
In [[TA 2989]], the Dwarves of the [[Lonely Mountain]], descendants of the ancient Durin's Folk, attempted to reclaim and recolonize Khazad-dûm. The [[Re-colonization of Moria|expedition]] was led by [[Balin]] son of [[Fundin]], one of [[Thorin and Company|Thorin Oakenshield's Company of Dwarves]] who accompanied [[Bilbo Baggins]] on the [[Quest of Erebor]]. He led a group of Dwarves from Erebor to Moria, and successfully drove back the Orcs, taking many of the eastern halls and recovering priceless ancestral treasures such as [[Durin's Axe]]. However, the Balrog remained active, and the number of Orcs was too great compared to their small company, and all, including Balin, were slain by [[TA 2994]].
{{clear|left}}
==== Quest of the Ring ====
When the [[Fellowship of the Ring (group)|Fellowship of the Ring]] set out from [[Rivendell]] on the [[Quest of the Ring]], they were forced to make their way through Moria after the failed attempt of climbing [[Caradhras]] (Redhorn) where they were pursued by [[Wargs]]. They entered through the West-gate, near a lake with dark waters, from which the [[Watcher in the Water|Watcher]] emerged and attempted to kill [[Frodo Baggins]]. When inside, after escaping the Watcher, the Fellowship passed through many tunnels and great halls until finally reaching the [[Chamber of Mazarbul]], where they found [[Book of Mazarbul|a book]] recounting the last accounts of Balin's expedition.<ref>{{LotRlink}}, {{LotRlink|media=book1}}, Book Two, Chapter IV: "[[A Journey in the Dark]]"</ref>
They were then taken by surprise as Orcs and Cave-trolls pursued them through Moria to the [[Bridge of Khazad-dûm]], where the Balrog had risen from the depths, and stood before them. Gandalf bravely confronted the creature and, the two briefly dueled on the Bridge before falling together into the abyss below. The rest of the Fellowship safely fleed Moria, into the [[Azanulbizar|Dimrill Dale]]. Gandalf and the Balrog both survived their fall, landing in a swamp, before the wizard then pursued the monster up the [[Endless Stair]], to the high peak of [[Zirakzigil|Celebdil]], where a [[Battle of the Peak|final battle]] took place. Gandalf slew the Balrog, before succumbing to his wounds from the fight.<ref>{{LotRlink}}, {{LotRlink|media=book1}}, Book Two, Chapter V: "[[The Bridge of Khazad-dûm]]"</ref>

[[File:Balrog and Gandalf, Velhagen.png|left|thumb|275px|"Beneath Khazad-dûm", by [[:Category:Art by Eric Velhagen|Eric Velhagen]]]]
=== Fourth Age ===
Following their exile from Khazad-dûm, the Longbeard Dwarves always yearned for their homeland, even after more than a thousand years had passed; [[Azanulbizar]] became "the deep-shadowed valley which we cannot forget", just as they felt compelled to continue incorporating "the image of those mountains into many works of metal and stone, and into many songs and tales. They stand tall in our dreams."{{Fact}}

With the destruction of the [[Balrogs|Balrog]], the way was at last clear for the [[Longbeards]] to reclaim Khazad-dûm, and a few centuries into the [[Fourth Age]], [[Durin VII]], a descendant of [[Thorin III Stonehelm]], led his people back to their ancient homeland, retrieving what they could of Khazad-dûm's once-mighty riches and restoring the realm.

== Inspiration ==
It is possible that [[John Howe]] gained inspiration for his design of Moria's halls from the [[wikipedia:Mosque–Cathedral of Córdoba|Great Mosque of Córdoba]]'s Visigothic arches.

== Etymology ==
'''''Moria''''' meant "black chasm"' in [[Sindarin]]. '''''Khazad-dûm''''' meant "Delving of the Dwarves" in [[Khuzdûl|Dwarvish]].

=== Other names ===
*'''Dwarrowdelf''' ([[Westron]] translation of ''Khazad-dûm'')
*'''Hadhodrond''' (Sindarin translation of ''Khazad-dûm'')
*'''Halls of Durin'''
*'''Mines of Moria'''
*'''Phurunargian'''

== In adaptations ==
[[File:Durin's_door.png|thumb|290px|Doors of Durin as seen in Peter Jackson's films]]

=== In animated film ===
Moria is depicted in both [[Ralph Bakshi]]'s 1978 animated film {{LotRlink|media=film}}.

=== In Peter Jackson's films ===
In the 2001 live-action film {{LotRlink|media=film1}}. Its depths are seen in [[Frodo Baggins|Frodo]]'s dream at the very start of {{LotRlink|media=film2}}, as [[Gandalf]] fights the [[Durin's Bane|Balrog]] while falling.

Moria appears again briefly in [[Peter Jackson]]'s {{Hlink|media=film1}}, in a flashback to the [[Battle of Azanulbizar]], in which [[Azog]] kills [[Thrór]], only then to be defeated (though not killed) by [[Thorin II Oakenshield|Thorin Oakenshield]].

=== Video games ===
Moria is depicted in the video games {{LotRlink|media=conquest}}, {{LotRlink|media=battle}} (Good campaign only), {{LotRlink|media=fotrvg|''The Fellowship of the Ring'' video game}}, {{LotRlink|media=third}}, {{LotRlink|media=mmo}}, {{LotRlink|media=aragorn}}, and in great detail in {{LotRlink|media=moria}}.

=== ''The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power'' ===
[[File:Khazad-dûm - The Rings of Power.png|thumb|270px|Khazad-dûm in {{TRoPlink|''The Rings of Power''}}.]]
Khazad-dûm is seen at the pinnacle of its might in [[Amazon Studios]]' {{TRoPlink}} as a flourishing civilization. At [[Celebrimbor]]'s behest, [[Elrond]] travels there in an attempt to establish a strong relationship between Dwarves and Elves.<ref>{{TRoPlink}}, {{TRoPlink|s=1|Season One}}, Ep. 2: "{{TRoP episode|1|2}}"</ref> 

== Gallery ==
<gallery>
File:The moria gate.jpg|The gate
File:Balins tomb gimli tn.jpg|Balin's tomb
File:Mines of Moria BFME.jpg|Moria as seen in [[The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth|''The Battle for Middle-earth'']]
File:Chamber of Mazarbul 1.jpg|Gimli running to Balin's tomb in the [[The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring|first film]]
File:Mithril mine.png|Mithril mines in Moria
File:Moria (1).JPG|The Fellowship exploring Moria
File:Peter Jackson's Moria.jpg|A view of Moria as seen in ''The Fellowship of the Ring'' film
File:Bridge of Khazad-dum.png|Bridge of Khazad-dûm
</gallery>

== Translations ==
<!--<div style="overflow:auto; height:200px;">-->
{|class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" data-expandtext="Show" data-collapsetext="Hide" style="border: 1px solid #a6a6a6; width:65%;"
| width="300" |'''Foreign Language'''
| width="300" |'''Translated name'''
|-
|Arabic
|موريا
|-
|Amharic
|ሞሪኣ
|-
|Armenian
|Մորիա (Moria)
Խազադ-դում (Khazad-dûm)
|-
|Belarusian Cyrillic
|Морыя (Moria)
Казад-дум (Khazad-dûm)
|-
|Bengali
|খাজাদ-দুম (Khazad-dûm)
মোরিয়া (Moria)
|-
|Bosnian
|Morija
|-
|Bulgarian Cyrillic
|Мория (Moria)
Хазад-дум (Khazad-dûm)
|-
|Catalan
|Mòria
|-
|Chinese (Hong Kong)
|摩瑞亞 (Moria)
凱薩督姆 (Khazad-dûm)
|-
|Georgian
|მორია (Moria)
კჰაზად-დუმ (Khazad-dûm)
|-
|Greek
|Μορια (Moria)
Κάζαντ-Ντουμ (Khazad-dûm)
|-
|Gujarati
|મોરિઅ
|-
|Hebrew
|מוריה (Moria)
קְהָזָד דוּם (Khazad-dûm)
|-
|Hindi
|मोरिअ
|-
|Hungarian
|Mória
|-
|Japanese
|モリア (Moria)
カザド＝ドゥーム (Khazad-dûm)
|-
|Kannada
|ಮೋರಿಯಾ
|-
|Kazakh
|Моріа (Cyrillic) Moria (Latin)
|-
|Korean
|모리아 (Moria)
카잣둠 (Khazad-dûm)
|-
|Kyrgyz Cyrillic
|Мориа
|-
|Laotian
|ມໂrິະ
|-
|Latin
|Moriae
|-
|Macedonian Cyrillic
|Мориа
|-
|Marathi
|मोरिअ
|-
|Mongolian Cyrillic
|Мориа
|-
|Nepalese
|मोरिअ
|-
|Pashto
|موریا
|-
|Persian
|موریا (Moria)
خازاد-دوم (Khazad-dûm)
|-
|Punjabi
|ਮੋਰਿਅ
|-
|Russian
|Мория
|-
|Sanskrit
|मोरिअ
|-
|Serbian
|Морија (Cyrillic) Moria (Latin)
Казад-дум (Cyrillic) Kazad-dum (Latin)
|-
|Sindhi
|مورڳا ?
|-
|Thai
|มอเรีย (Moria)
คาซัด-ดูม (Khazad-dûm)
|-
|Sinhalese
|මොරියා
|-
|Tajik Cyrillic
|Мориа
|-
|Tamil
|மோரியா
|-
|Telugu
|మొరిఅ
|-
|Ukrainian Cyrillic
|Морія (Moria)
Казад-дум (Khazad-dûm)
|-
|Urdu
|موریا
|-
|Uzbek
|Мория (Cyrillic) Moriya (Latin)
|-
|Yiddish
|מאָריאַ (Moria)
כאַזאַד-דאַם (Khazad-dûm)
|}
{{Clear}}


{{Dwarven Realms}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Dwarven cities]]
[[Category:Dwarven kingdoms]]
[[Category:Khuzdûl names & words]]
[[Category:Kingdoms]]
[[Category:Mines]]
[[Category:Moria]]
[[Category:Orc settlements]]
[[Category:The Rings of Power locations]]

[[ca:Mòria]]
[[de:Moria]]
[[es:Moria]]
[[fr:Khazad-dûm]]
[[he:מוריה]]
[[it:Moria]]
[[nl:Khazad-Dûm]]
[[pl:Moria]]
[[pt-br:Khazad-dûm]]
[[ru:Мориа]]
[[tr:Moria]]
[[uk:Морія]]