Barad Dur

Barad-dur is the fortress of Sauron in the heart of the black land of Mordor and close to Mount Doom in the fantasy world of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings.  The Eye of Sauron kept watch over Middle-earth from its highest tower.


Barad-dur was built by Sauron, the Dark Lord of Mordor, with the power of the One Ring, during the Second Age.  The building took six hundred years to complete; it was the greatest fortress ever built since the Fall of Angband, and much of Sauron's personal power went into it.


Barad-dur was besieged for seven years by the Last Alliance of Elves and Men and was leveled after Sauron's defeat at the end of the Second Age, but because it was created using the power of the One Ring, its foundation could not be destroyed completely unless the Ring itself was destroyed.  Isildur cut the Ring from Sauron's hand but refused to destroy it, so the Tower was quickly rebuilt when Sauron returned to Mordor thousands of years later.


The Dark Tower was described as existing on a massive scale so large it was almost surreal, although Tolkien does not provide much detail beyond its size and immense strength.  Since it had a "topmost tower" it presumably had multiple towers.  It is otherwise described as dark and surrounded in shadow, so that it could not be clearly seen.


This is the synopsis from the pattern for Barad-Dur from Sunflower Designs.


Here is my completed Barad Dur.

It is made from 440 yards of Knit Picks Gloss (70% Merino Wool and 30% Silk) in the Dusk color way using US 5 needles.