Khazad-dûm, latterly known as Moria (The Black Chasm, The Black Pit), was the grandest and most famous of the mansions of the Dwarves.
There, for many thousands of years, a thriving Dwarvish community created the greatest city ever known. It lay in the central parts of the Misty Mountains, tunnelled and carved through the living rock of the mountains themselves. By the Second Age a traveller could pass through it from the west of the range to the east.
TOMB OF BALIN
Balin's Tomb was the tomb of Balin, Lord of Moria, after his death in T.A. 2994.
In T.A. 2994, Balin was killed at the hands of Moria-Orcs in Dimrill Dale. He was promptly buried in a tomb in the center of the Chamber of Mazarbul, Balin's former seat, which itself was located off the north end of the Twenty-first Hall.
DOORS OF DURIN
The Doors of Durin, also known as the West-gate, the West-door of Moria, or Elven Door, were built into the Walls of Moria in the dark cliffs of the Silvertine, and formed the western entrance to the great Dwarven city of Khazad-dûm.
The main entrance to Khazad-dûm was the Great Gates in Dimrill Dale, east of the Misty Mountains. During the Second Age, it was decided to open a way to the west side of the Silvertine, which would facilitate contact and cooperation with the Elven realm of Hollin. The Elven Door was constructed in cooperation between Dwarves and Elves, sometime between S.A. 750 and 1500. It was the two greatest craftsmen of the Second Age, the Elf and Lord of Eregion, Celebrimbor, and the dwarf Narvi who built the Doors. These were the days before the Dark Years of Sauron's dominion in Middle-earth, and the friendship between Elven and Dwarven kingdoms was a rare and special event. During this peaceful time the Doors stood open, allowing unfettered trade. But during the War of the Elves and Sauron (in S.A. 1697) the Doors were sealed shut after Hollin fell to Sauron's forces. When Khazad-dûm was abandoned in T.A. 1981 the way of opening the Doors was forgotten. The Doors of Moria by Donato Giancola At some point between 2845 and 2950 the Wizard Gandalf entered the city looking for King Thráin II who had disappeared on journey to Erebor. After his search the Wizard exited through the Doors; however this experience did not help him know how to open the doors from the outside.
BRIDGE OF KHAZAD-DUM
The Bridge of Khazad-dûm was a narrow stone bridge crossing a chasm within the eastern gates of the Dwarf-city of Khazad-dûm.
The bridge was fifty feet long and so narrow that it could only be crossed in single file. The depth of the chasm was incredible and the ceiling was high; on the outer side of the bridge was a flight of stairs leading to the exit, through the First Hall and the Great Gates of Moria. The narrowness of the bridge was meant to help defend the interior of Khazad-dûm against an enemy that had already breached the outermost defenses. The bridge is most noted for being the location of the encounter between Gandalf and the Balrog. Gandalf broke it during the fight, and it likely remained broken until the Dwarves reclaimed Moria in the Fourth Age.
HALLS OF MORIA
The Second Hall was one of many Halls of Moria. Between the Second and the First Hall - counting from the entrance of the city - lay the ill-fated Bridge of Khazad-dûm in the First Deep. In T.A. 2994 Orcs joined battle with the Dwarves of Balin's Colony in the hall. During the ensuing brawl Lóni, Náli and Frár were killed while the rest escaped to the Seventh Level, allowing the Orcs to reclaim the Hall. It was the largest encountered by the Fellowship of the Ring while they traversed Moria. Its pillars were notable for being smooth and black, carved like trees, with the boughs holding up the ceiling.
