Doors of Durin

Built-in the Second Age of Middle Earth, the Doors of Durin were constructed by the allies of Elves and Dwarves. It was a combined effort of Narvi, the greatest craftsman of the Dwarves and Celebrimbor, Lord of Eregion, and a descendant of Feanor. Narvi designed and constructed the doors while Celebrimbor carved the emblems on it. The Dwarves of Khazad-d(o)m and Celebrimbor’s people used the door for their trading activities and various other projects that would benefit both the parties mutually.​

These doors were carved as a simple flush door with invisible frames that could not be seen by the naked eyes. Once the door was closed, it perfectly merged into the mountain rock behind and became almost invisible with no difference between the background rock. The slabs of the door were carved out of a grey material that was much stronger than regular stone. The slabs were further embedded with ithildin which could only be seen in the lights reflected from the moon and stars, otherwise, it remained hidden. Another reason for using ithildin was that the doors could remain hidden until a “magic word” was said. Once starlight or moonlight fell, making the doors visible again, it also shows the following features,

• The emblems of Durin (Hammer and Anvil).
• Durin’s crown and seven stars.
• Crescent moons placed on top of two trees standing as a symbol of the Tree of the High Elves.
• The emblem of the House of Feanor (A single star)
• Tengwar Calma (C) and Óre (N) symbolizing Celebrimbor and Narvi with an Ando (D) between their feet which stood for Durin.

It was the inscription that gave away the magic word and made the doors open. The doors were so constructed that they would easily open from the inside, with a single push. According to the dwarves, the combined strength of two people was needed to push open the door from the inside. The dwarves always kept a guard on the inside of the door so that nobody could escape without permission. From the outside, there was no other way to open the door than by saying the magic words. [1]​

Up until the second age, the east gate served as the main entrance to Khazad-dûm helping the people with their travel and trading needs. However, after the war between the Elves and Sauron, the doors of Durin were completely sealed after Sauron had successfully defeated Eregion.​