In Tolkien’s Middle-earth, Minas Tirith is the great city ruled by the Steward of Gondor.
Minas Tirith stands in Gondor’s White Mountains and is built on a hill in seven fortified levels. Its name means “Tower of Guard” in Sindarin. The city was originally called Minas Anor, or “Tower of the Sun,” before the fall of Minas Ithil led to the renaming of the two cities.
During the late Third Age, the Steward of Gondor governed Minas Tirith because Gondor had no ruling king. Denethor II is the steward most prominently associated with the city during The Lord of the Rings. Aragorn’s return eventually restores the kingship.
Readers sometimes confuse Minas Tirith with Osgiliath, the former capital of Gondor, or with Minas Ithil, later called Minas Morgul. These are separate cities with different histories.