Mordor

Being a direct English translation from its Sindarin meaning “The Dark Land”, Mordor in Middle Earth sure lives up to its name. Because of the violently active volcano nearby, Mount Doom, Mordor is constantly laden with a combination of ash and dust, combined with the toxic fumes produced by it. As well as that, this is where the legendary superstar Sauron began the genesis of the One Ring. So grab an oxygen mask and a good bunch of Elven bread, because that WILL be the last time you’ll ever see fresh food.

A history of darkness

Sauron initially settled into Mordor in order to build and plan his devious schemes. Having this kind of privacy from the other regions, he could forge the One Ring without any external intervention, as well as set up various fortresses to house his thousands of troops.
For over 3000 years, Sauron has ruled Mordor, both in physical and spiritual form, constantly attacking neighbouring regions in a quest to rule Middle Earth.
After the War of the Ring, Mordor remained as a barren wasteland since Sauron (now slain) and his forces had ceased. The land is now repossessed by the people of Gondor and Nurn, who can surprisingly sustain themselves in the plains.

Mordor has “More Doors”

Though Mordor is significantly recognised for its deadly environment, don’t let that stop you from marvelling at Sauron’s once-mighty accomplishments.

Barad-dûr is the largest fortress in Middle Earth, towering more than one kilometre in height (constituting for about 3 Eiffel Towers!), was the centrepiece of Mordor’s splendour during Sauron’s reign. One of the most notable landmarks in Barad-dûr was the Eye of Sauron, known for gazing out in distant directions from the tower itself.
Though left in ruins in this day in age, you can still see how immense Barad-dûr was in its golden era, and maybe even get a nifty photo booth souvenir to take home with you (like we did).

If you wanted to see a landmark in Mordor that isn’t reduced to rubble or has some remnant of the past still imbued into it over the ages, Mount Doom is the place to be. Although large eruptions are very rare due to Sauron’s absence, throwing things like the One Ring into the volcano can usually start massive explosions.
This was the very place where the One Ring was forged, by Sauron himself because he could control the flames to mould the ring. Ironically, this is also where Frodo tossed the ring into its demise (along with poor Gollum), so the volcano itself as a rather intriguing backstory.

Conclusion

Mordor may be only a land of ash and smoke these days, but you can still appreciate the magnitude it once held in Middle Earth politics. As well, you can walk in the same footsteps as a variety of famed individuals have before you, such as Sauron, Gandalf the White, Legolas Greenleaf and Frodo Baggins, to name a few.

Reference List

Mordor can be confusing and intimidating, so getting lost is natural (Frodo nearly died because of that very reason). But these links are less so, and as such, you can study up on what you really need to strap up sufficiently for a few months in Mordor. Months, I say? Yes, Mordor is that big.

Mount Doom (n.d.) Retrieved May 8th, 2014, from http://lotr.wikia.com/wiki/Mount_Doom

Mordor (2014) Retrieved May 8th, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mordor

Mordor (2013) Retrieved May 8th, 2014, from http://wikitravel.org/en/Mordor