Gondolin is the hidden Elvish city ruled by Turgon in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Silmarillion.
Turgon founded Gondolin during the First Age and concealed it in a valley surrounded by the Encircling Mountains. Its secrecy was part of its protection against Morgoth, the first Dark Lord. For many years, Gondolin remained one of the great refuges of the Noldor in Beleriand.
The city’s hidden location was eventually betrayed. Morgoth’s forces attacked Gondolin, leading to its destruction and the death of Turgon. Survivors escaped, including Tuor and Idril, whose son Eärendil later played a crucial role in the struggle against Morgoth.
Gondolin is often confused with Doriath or Nargothrond, other major Elvish realms of the First Age. Doriath was ruled by Thingol, while Nargothrond was associated with Finrod and later Túrin. Their different rulers and locations are important to Tolkien’s chronology.