Three sides of Mordor were bounded by mountain ranges, arranged in a rough recta

ngle: Ered Lithui, translated as 'Ash Mountains' in the north, and the Ephel Dath
("Fence of Shadow") in the west and the south. In the northwest the pass of Cir
ith Gorgor led into the enclosed plain of Udn. Sauron built the Black Gate of Mor
dor (the Morannon) across the pass, joining the Towers of the Teeth, two earlier
guard towers built by Gondor to keep a watch on this entrance. The passage thro
ugh the inner side of Udn into the interior of Mordor was guarded by another gate
, the Isenmouthe. Outside the Morannon lay the Dagorlad or Battle Plain.
In the interior within this mountainous border lay Sauron's main fortress Barad-
dr, the arid plateau of Gorgoroth, and Mount Doom. To the east lay the plain of L
ithlad. A narrow pass led through the Ephel Dath, guarded by Minas Morgul (earlie
r Minas Ithil). A higher, more difficult pass, Cirith Ungol, just to the north,
was guarded by a tower originally built by Gondor. This pass, "the pass of the s
pider", was also blockaded by Torech Ungol, the lair of the giant spider Shelob.
The fortress Durthang lay in the northern Ephel Dath above