Orthanc is the tower where Saruman lives in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth. It stands within Isengard, a fortified ring of stone in the southern part of the Misty Mountains’ region.
Orthanc was built by the Dúnedain of Gondor after the fall of Sauron at the end of the Second Age. Its extremely hard, dark stone makes it difficult to damage, and the tower contains the palantír of Orthanc, a seeing-stone. Saruman uses the tower as his residence after becoming the chief of the Istari in Middle-earth.
Orthanc is frequently confused with Barad-dûr, Sauron’s fortress in Mordor. Minas Tirith is Gondor’s white city, while Cirith Ungol is a pass and fortress associated with Mordor. In The Lord of the Rings, the Ents attack Isengard, flood its ring, and leave Orthanc standing because the tower itself cannot easily be destroyed.