Edoras

Edoras is the capital city of Rohan. It is home to the Golden Hall of the King, called Meduseld.
The city of Edoras was built on a hill in a valley of the White Mountains by Rohan's second King, Brego son of Eorl the Young. Before Edoras was completed, Rohan's capital was at Aldburg in the Folde. The Golden Hall was described as having a golden thatch, and the stables were constructed at the top of the hill by Meduseld itself.
Edoras is Rohan's only real city. It is here in Meduseld that Aragorn, Gimli, Legolas, and Gandalf meet with King Théoden in the account of the early stages of the War of the Ring.
The inhabitants of Edoras and the rest of the Rohirrim were often called to war, to defend both Gondor and Rohan. They wore green capes, carried green shields emblazoned with a golden sun and were armed with spears and long swords that were set with green gems.
Edoras is built at the end of the valley of Harrowdale, which lies under the great mountain Starkhorn. The river Snowbourn flows past the city on its way west towards the Entwash. The city was protected only by a high wall of timber, and a one-way road allowed access to the city. Just before the gates, two sets of mounds lined the road, which were the graves of the former Kings of Rohan.

Osgiliath

Osgiliath is a city of Middle-earth, the old capital city of Gondor. In Sindarin, the name means Citadel of the Host of Stars.
Founded by Elendil and his sons Isildur and Anárion at the end of the Second Age, Osgiliath straddled the Great River Anduin at a point approximately half way between the cities of Minas Anor to the west and Minas Ithil to the east. While Anor was the chief city of Anárion and Ithil that of Isildur, the brothers had their thrones alongside each other at Osgiliath.
During the first overthrow of the Dark Lord Sauron, Minas Ithil was taken and Isildur was forced to flee down the Anduin and seek Elendil, but Anárion rallied Gondor's forces at Osgiliath and drove the Enemy back to the mountains.
Osgiliath was burned during the Kin-strife, with its palantír being lost in the rebellion. Afterwards, having not fully recovered from the ruinous civil war, it was struck by the Great Plague, causing it to become partially deserted and fall into ruins. As a result King Tarondor moved the capital to Minas Anor in T.A. 1640. Around the time that Minas Ithil fell to the Ringwraiths and became Minas Morgul, Osgiliath became unsafe and the remaining population was driven out in T.A. 2475 when Uruks from Mordor occupied Ithilien and destroyed the Great Bridge of the city. Although the Uruks were driven back by Boromir, son of Denethor I, the city was finally ruined and from then on it became a city of ghosts watched over by a Gondorian garrison.
Osgiliath was the scene of some of the earliest fighting in the War of the Ring. In T.A. 3018 skirmishes broke out as the Black Captain tested the strength of Gondor's outer defences, by occupying East Osgiliath and trying to capture the Western half in addition. Boromir, son of Denethor II led a force that managed to destroy its last stone bridge and therefore halted the advance. After Boromir's departure and subsequent death, his younger brother Faramir took command, but the men of Gondor were hard pressed to prevent the enemy from breaking through at Osgiliath and were eventually driven out by the forces of Mordor shortly before the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.
After the destruction of the One Ring and the fall of Sauron, it may be presumed that Osgiliath was rebuilt, although it never regained its former glory. It is thought that Osgiliath was the capital city of Eldarion son of Elessar.

Lothlórien

Other names
LórienLaurelindórenanGolden WoodThe Hidden Land
Description
Refuge of the Elves
Location
None
Lifespan
Founded circa S.A. 1350[1]Abandoned by F.A. 119[2]
Lord
Celeborn and Galadriel
the Elven centre of resistance against Sauron and is a symbol for the Elves'

Early in the First Age some of the Eldar left the Great March and settled in the lands east of the Misty Mountains. These elves became known as the Nandor and later the Silvan Elves. By S.A. 1200 Galadriel had made contact with an existing Nandorin realm, Lindórinand, in the area that would later be known as Lothlórien,[9] and planted there the golden mallorn trees which Gil-galad had received as a gift from Tar-Aldarion.[11]
The culture and knowledge of the Silvan elves was considerably enriched by the arrival of Sindarin Elves from west of the mountains and even the Silvan language was gradually replaced by Sindarin. Amongst these arrivals was Amdír, who became their first lord, as well as Galadriel and Celeborn, who also crossed the mountains and the Anduin to join these southern Nandor after the destruction of Eregion during the War of the Elves and Sauron. Ultimately, Amdír led an army out of the forest as part of the Last Alliance of Elves and Men, just as Oropher, another Sindarin lord, led the Silvan Elves of the north in the same victory over Sauron, so it can be assumed that both northern and southern woodland realms had been founded by then.
With the gradual return of Sauron's malign influence to the forest east of Anduin, the northern Silvan Elves led by Thranduil son of Oropher moved even further north to escape it, and those of the south returned west across the Anduin, although without their last Sindarin lord Amroth son of Amdír, who departed to Edhellond after his lover Nimrodel had fled there.
It was later revealed that Galadriel's Ring enriched the land by preserving its flora from death and decay, and in wielding it she created a powerful ward against all creatures of evil intent: in fact the only way that Galadriel's Lothlórien could have been conquered by Mordor is if Sauron himself, the master of all the Rings of Power, had come there.
Following the departure of Galadriel for Valinor at the beginning of the Fourth Age, the Elves of Lothlórien were ruled by Celeborn alone, who led them across the Anduin to found a new, larger realm, East Lórien, centred around Amon Lanc. By the time of the death of Queen Arwen, Celeborn and Galadriel's granddaughter, Lothlórien itself was deserted.

Lothlórien was located East of Moria between the Misty Mountains and the river Anduin. Other than a small strip of forested land to the south, the realm was located between the rivers Anduin and Silverlode, a region called the Naith (S. spearhead)[12] by the Elves or the Gore in Westron. The city of Caras Galadhon was located in the narrowest portion of the Naith, where the two rivers came together, called Egladil.

Imladris

Established and ruled by Elrond in the Second Age of Middle-earth (four or five thousand years before the events of The Lord of the Rings). In addition to Elrond and his family, notable Elves who lived there included Glorfindel and Erestor.

The name Rivendell is formed by two elements: "riven" and "dell" meaning split, cloven and valley respectively, making the whole word purport "deeply cloven valley". It is also referred to as The Last Homely House of the West of the mountains, alluding to the wilderland that lies beyond the Misty Mountains.

Rivendell is located at the edge of a narrow gorge of the river Bruinen (one of the main approaches to Rivendell comes from a nearby ford of Bruinen), but well hidden in the moorlands and foothills of the Hithaeglir or the Misty Mountains.
The climate is cool-temperate and semi-continental with moderately warm summers, fairly snowy — but not frigid — winters and moderate precipitation. Seasons are more pronounced than in areas further west, such as the Shire, but less extreme than the places east of the Misty Mountains.

Rivendell was founded in Second Age 1697 when a force sent by Gil-galad from Lindon and led by Elrond rescued the refugees of Eregion from Sauron's army and was driven into the hills of Rhudaur.Rivendell was founded in Second Age 1697 when a force sent by Gil-galad from Lindon and led by Elrond rescued the refugees of Eregion from Sauron's army and was driven into the hills of Rhudaur. Sauron's forces subsequently laid siege to the refuge for three years until a relief army sent by Gil-galad attacked the besieging force in conjunction with the defenders and annihilated it. Rivendell was next attacked in the fourteenth century of the Third Age when the Armies of the Witch-king of Angmar attacked the refuge. After some years they were driven off when reinforcements were sent from Lothlórien.

At the beginning of the Fourth Age Elrond left Rivendell and for a while it was lived in by Elladan and Elrohir, joined later by Celeborn. It is not known when Rivendell was finally abandoned.

Minas Morgul

Name
Minas Morgul (Tower of Black Sorcery)

Other names
Minas Ithil (Tower of the Rising Moon) (former name)
Dead City

Description
Base of the Nazgûl;
Formerly Gondor's eastern watchtower

Constructed by
Isildur of Gondor

Realm(s)
Mordor
Ithilien

Lord
The Witch-king of Angmar

Type
Fortified City

Lifespan
S.A. 3320 – circa. T.A. 3020

Minas Morgul (Sindarin for "Tower of Black Magic"), also known by its earlier name Minas Ithil ("Tower of the Moon"), is a fictional city in J.R.R. Tolkien's world of Middle-earth. Its full title is Minas Ithil in the Morgul Vale, since the city is located in a deep valley of the same name.

After the destruction of Númenor, Isildur and Anárion, the sons of Elendil, landed in Gondor. Isildur built Minas Ithil at the south end of a pleasant valley in Ithilien near the mountainous border of Mordor, while Anárion built Minas Anor further west across the Anduin. The brothers had their thrones side by side at Osgiliath. Isildur planted a sapling of the White Tree Nimloth outside his home in Minas Ithil, and one of the seven palantíri was kept in the tower. The city's white marble walls, buildings, and tower were designed to catch and reflect the moonlight, and shone with a soft silver luminescence.

When Sauron returned after escaping Númenor's destruction, he attacked the exiles of Númenor, and his forces took Minas Ithil by force in S.A. 3429. Though the White Tree was burned, Isildur and his family managed to escape down the Anduin with a seedling, seeking his father Elendil. The city was later retaken and while Isildur, Anárion, and Elendil assaulted Mordor, Isildur's younger sons Aratan and Ciryon were sent to garrison Minas Ithil in order to intercept Sauron if he attempted to escape from Mordor to the west.

When the Last Alliance defeated Sauron in S.A. 3441, Minas Ithil was restored as a city/fortress and prospered for many years, though it was now under the rule of Anárion's son Meneldil, as Isildur planned to take up rule of his father's kingdom of Arnor. Isildur planted the seedling of the White Tree at Minas Anor in memory of Anárion, who had been slain during the War.

Minas Ithil suffered greatly as a result of the Great Plague in the year T.A. 1636. Its population and garrison were diminished, and the watch on Mordor inevitably became lax. In the year 1980 of the Third Age, the Nazgûl returned to Mordor, after the defeat of the Witch-king of Angmar in the north of Middle-earth by a joint force of Elves, Dúnedain, and men of Gondor under the command of Prince Eärnur.
In preparation for Sauron's return, the Ringwraiths laid siege to Minas Ithil in 2000, and they took the city for their dark master two years later. Minas Ithil was occupied by fell creatures and its walls were studded with menacing fortifications. The palantír kept in the Tower was also captured and later installed at Barad-dûr. As a result, the city became a foul, evil place, and it came to be called Minas Morgul, "The Tower of Dark Sorcery" in Sindarin; the valley in which it stood likewise came to be known as Morgul Vale. In response, Minas Anor was likewise renamed Minas Tirith, "The Tower of Guard," to indicate Gondor's eternal vigilance against the threat of the Witch-King.
After Eärnur became King of Gondor in 2043 the Witch-King, Lord of the Nazgûl, challenged him to single combat in order to finish a disputed duel between them at the Battle of Fornost years earlier. In 2050 Eärnur accepted a second challenge, rode with a contingent of knights to Minas Morgul and was never heard from again. Because he had no heirs and was never declared officially dead, the line of the Stewards of Gondor ruled the kingdom in his stead until the return of an heir of Isildur, beginning with Eärnur's own Steward, Mardil. Terror and war were directed against Gondor from Minas Morgul until Ithilien was deserted.

Under the Ringwraiths Minas Ithil was perverted into a horribly corrupt version of its former beauty. Its gate was described to be a cavernous mouth. The top-most course of the tower revolved slowly, showing a different leering head with each turn, and the marble walls of Morgul shone not with reflected moonlight, but with a pale, frightening light of its own which Tolkien described as "a corpse-light" that "illuminated nothing". Where Minas Ithil was, in its day, likely a bustling, noisy city like Minas Tirith, Minas Morgul was as silent as the grave. The walls and tower of Minas Morgul had many windows, but they were all unlit and revealed nothing of the horrors within. The dark magic that permeated Morgul Vale was so great that it could drive men mad if they came too near the city. A white stone bridge ran across Morgul Vale to the city's gate on its northern wall, and at each end of the bridge were hideous statues of twisted men and animals. On either side of the Vale were fields of blighted flowers which gave off a rotten scent.

When Frodo Baggins, Samwise Gamgee and Gollum passed by the city on their way to Cirith Ungol, the One Ring almost succeeded in compelling Frodo to run right to the city gates. As they climbed the stairs of Cirith Ungol soon afterward, Frodo, Sam and Gollum watched as a red flash erupted from Barad-dûr to signal the start of the assault on Minas Tirith. Immediately afterwards a similar flash of intense blue light was emitted from the tower of Minas Morgul as its garrison, led by the Witch-King of Angmar, marched out to lay siege to Minas Tirith.

During the War of the Ring, Minas Morgul continued to act as the base of operations for the Witch-king and was a major garrison and forward base for Sauron's forces. The army of orcs and trolls that attacked Osgiliath and besieged Minas Tirith came from Minas Morgul.
As the Army of the West made their way past Minas Morgul to their last stand at the Morannon, they destroyed the bridge leading to the Morgul Vale and set its fields aflame. Aragorn's forces met no opposition from the Tower as the city's entire garrison had been killed at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields. Prince Imrahil of Dol Amroth had proposed to attack Mordor via Minas Morgul but others feared that the evil in the valley would drive the men of Gondor mad. Gandalf also reasoned that the Ring-bearer would go through Morgul to reach Mount Doom, thus it was preferrable not to draw attention to Morgul by attacking it.
After the War of the Ring, when Aragorn was crowned as King Elessar, he made Faramir the Prince of Ithilien. Faramir made his abode in the Emyn Arnen, southeast of Minas Tirith, and ruled from there with his new bride, Éowyn. At his coronation, King Elessar also decreed that Minas Ithil in the Morgul Vale be utterly destroyed and made clean for seven years, and that afterwards no man would dwell there. It has not been made known whether Minas Ithil and Osgiliath were ever rebuilt, as the major population of Ithilien became based around Emyn Arnen.

references (minas tirith post as well): Wikipedia

Minas Tirith

(All underlined is important names, people, dates etc)

Originally known as Minas Anor, the "Tower of the Setting Sun", Minas Tirith was built in S.A. 3320 by Anárion, younger brother of Isildur and second son of Elendil, High King of Arnor.

Ostoher rebuilt the city in T.A. 420 as a summer residence, and it became the capital of Gondor in T.A. 1640, when KIn 2002, the White City's companion city, Minas Ithil, Tower of the Rising Moon, on the borders of Mordor, was captured by the Nazgûl and renamed Minas Morgul, Tower of Sorcery (Dead City).

Minas Anor was renamed Minas Tirith, meaning "Tower of Guard", to indicate that since the fall of Minas Ithil, Minas Tirith assumed the role of guarding Gondor against Mordor's forces.

For the next thousand years, the two cities were in a stalemate, with neither able to topple the other.

With the rebuilding of the Dark Tower and the open return of Sauron, the forces of Mordor gathered their strength to topple Minas Tirith in the upcoming War of the Ring.

In the later part of the Third Age, Minas Tirith and its lands were surrounded by the Rammas Echor, a fortified wall encircling the Pelennor Fields and meeting up with Osgiliath, where the Causeway Forts were built on the west bank of the Anduin and garrisoned, though Osgiliath itself remained in ruins.

This outwall was built by Ecthelion II but fell into disrepair after his death, only to be repaired in the year leading up to the War.

According to the non-canon New Line book The Lord of the Rings Weapons and Warfare the height of Minas Tirith in the films from the foot of the gates to the top of the Tower of Ecthelion (which individually is said to be 300 feet tall) could be estimated to be around 1,000 feet (304.8 m), and the diameter of the city almost three-quarters of a mile (3,960 feet). The book also suggests that the towering bastion of stone, shaped like the keel of a ship, which rose from behind the Great Gates on the first level to the citadel on the seventh, was a quarter of a mile tall (1 320 feet). However this height does not take into account the Tower of Ecthelion, which was situated on the seventh level, meaning that in total the city is some 1,620 feet tall (493.7 m). This means that the city's total height is somewhere between 1,000 feet (304.8 m) and 1,620 feet (493.7 m).

Description:

Name
Minas Tirith (Tower of Guard)

Other names
Minas Anor (Tower of the Setting Sun)White City, City of Kings

Constructed by
Anárion

Realm

Gondor Anórien

Lord(s)
Kings and Stewards of Gondor

Type
Fortified City

Lifespan
Built S.A. 3320