The Lord of the Rings

Rohan was a Mannish kingdom on the northern borders of Gondor. It was the territory of the Rohirrim, a people of herdsmen and farmers. Well-known for their horses and cavalry, they were Gondor's most important ally.

The borders of Rohan were the river Isen from its junction with the river Adorn and then northwards to the outer walls of Isengard and the river Adorn in the west; from the outer walls of Isengard eastwards and northwards along the eaves of Fangorn Forest to the river Limlight in the north; the river Anduin and the west-cliff of the Emyn Muil hills down to the marshes of the mouths of the river Entwash and beyond those marshes the Mering stream that flowed from the Wood of Anwar to join the river Entwash in the east and the White Mountains as far as the end of their northward arm in the south.. The most significant feature of Rohan's geography was the river Entwash, which divided the country between Eastemnet and Westemnet, itself divided as Eastfold and Westfold. Other lands were the Wold, the Folde, the line of downs to the north-west of the East Wall of Rohan and the Undeeps. Ted Nasmith - The Riders of Rohan The Rohirrim found abandoned Gondorian fortresses and refuges in the White Mountains, such as Dunharrow, Orthanc and the Hornburg which they restored and used themselves. The capital of Rohan was the hill fort of Edoras which lay on the slopes of the White Mountains. Another large city was Aldburg, the capital city of the Eastfold and original city of Eorl the Young. Other cities must have existed but are not named. At the time of the War of the Ring, Rohan was roughly a third the size of Gondor, whose borders had slowly been shrinking for decades.

HELM'S DEEP

Helm's Deep was a large valley gorge in the north-western Ered Nimrais (White Mountains) below the Thrihyrne. It was actually the name of the whole defensive system including its major defensive structure, the Hornburg.

Originally the valley was home to a small Gondorian regiment, but after Calenardhon was ceded to the Éothéod it became an encampment of the Rohirrim of the Westfold, and was used to guard the Gap of Rohan.

During the war with the Dunlendings under Wulf, the Rohirrim under King Helm Hammerhand and many of his people sought refuge in the keep, where they held out during the Long Winter of T.A. 2758–2759. Helm and his horn gave their names to the features of the Deep.

During the War of the Ring the fortress guarding Helm's Deep again became the refuge of some of the Rohirrim, now under King Théoden, and the Battle of the Hornburg was fought there. After the battle, the Huorns laid the dead Uruk-hai of Saruman in a large mound known afterwards as the Death Down. The Dunlendings were buried more honourably in a separate mound below the Dike.

THE GOLDEN HALL OF EDORAS

Meduseld was the great Golden Hall that stood upon a green terrace in Edoras. It was topped with a straw roof, which made it appear as if it was made out of gold when seen from far off. Its walls were richly decorated with tapestries depicting the history and legends of the Rohirrim, and it served as a house for the King and his kin, a meeting hall for the King and his advisers, and a feast hall.

THE CAPITAL OF ROHAN

Edoras was the capital of Rohan that held the Golden Hall of Meduseld.

Rohan's first capital was at Aldburg in the Folde, until King Eorl the Young or his son Brego built Edoras. Wulf son of Freca the Dunlending, invaded Rohan in T.A. 2758 and took Edoras usurping the throne in Meduseld. But the Long Winter, which had lasted five long months, ended and Fréaláf son of Hild came out of Dunharrow and with a small band of men, surprising Wulf, he attacked Edoras and slew Wulf, regaining the city. It was here that Aragorn, Gimli, Legolas, and Gandalf the White met with Théoden.

The city was built on a hill in Harrowdale, a valley of the White Mountains which lay under the great mountain Starkhorn. The river Snowbourn flowed past Edoras on its way west towards the Entwash. Edoras was encircled by a wall, and a dike dug around the hill. It had a spring whose water flowed in a channel along the main road.