so what was the relationship between minas tirith and minas morgul (or is it cirith ungol?) and how could osgilliath in between of them? I read somewhere something about them being post-guards from sauron armies, but then was overrun by the nazgul who took minas morgul as their 'home'?
Anyone know more about this?
The Tower of the Sun, Minas Anor (=Minas Tirith) and the Tower of the Moon, Minas Ithil (=Minas Morgul) were built as the White Sister Towers by the men of Gondor in SA 3320 (short before the Last Alliance) as strongholds against Sauron. Isildur had Minas Ithil, Anárion Minas Anor; in both towers was a palantír from Númenor.
But in the year TA 2002, Minas Ithil was overrun by the Nazgul who made it their fortress and spread evil over Ithilien, the land around Minas Morgul (where later Faramir and his rangers worked). The region around the tower was even feared by Sauron's servants.
Since then, Minas Ithil was called Minas Morgul, the Tower of Black Magic, and Minas Anor was called Minas Tirith or Tower of Guard.
When Osgiliath, capital of Gondor by the shores of Anduin, fell, Minas Tirith became the new capital of the Southern Kingdom.
Cirith Ungol is another tower built by Gondor (as well as Durthang and the Nelid Myrn), it's near Shelob's Lair and was used by Orks.