The Lord of the Rings: Such was the dwarven city of Khazad-dum (Moria) before its destruction

The new Amazon Prime Video series “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” is about the dark ruler Sauron who threatened peace in Middle-earth. In a battle of the elves against Sauron, the dwarves of Khazad-dums aided the forces of the half-elf Elrond (Robert Aramayo).

Khazad-dum, also known as Moria or Dwarf Binge, was an underground city, fortress, and mine in the Misty Mountains. It was founded by Durin I the Immortal in the First Age and built by the dwarves. Khazad-dum was the greatest of all dwarven cities.

The city consisted of numerous halls, chambers and an extensive cave system. In these, the dwarves dug for mithril, a very valuable and rare metal. This provided the dwarves with untold wealth, for mithril was only found in the mines of Khazad-dum. Later, small deposits were also found in Aglarond, from which the great gate of Minas Tirith was fashioned.

In the Third Age, the dwarves dug deeper and deeper for the precious metal, unwittingly awakening a Balrog who claimed the mine. The dwarves of Khazad-dum then fled to the Iron Mountains and Ered Mithrin. Henceforth this Balrog was also called Durin’s Bane. After the eviction of the residents of Khazad-dum, the mine was generally called Moria, which means something like dark abyss.

In The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, the nine companions reached the gates of Durin and managed to save themselves in Moria after fleeing the Warden in the water.

There they found the Chamber of Mazarbul, in which the last dwarf ruler of the city, Balin, had his tomb. As the companions crossed the bridge of Khazad-dum, Gandalf confronted the Balrog and fell down with him. The rest of the group was then able to escape through the Shadow Gate.

In The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power we will first see Khazad-dum before the destruction. The official Twitter account for the series offers a first insight into the hustle and bustle of the dwarf capital in a short trailer.

For the first time we see a vibrant and colorful version of Khazad-dum, in which the industrious dwarves go about their business. Actor Owain Arthur, who plays the dwarf prince Durin IV, describes the city’s dwarves as a close-knit community. This cohesion becomes even more crucial in the series when they go against Sauron together.

The first season of “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” starts on September 2nd. Then we can get an impression of the imposing mining town of the dwarves for ourselves.