Mountains of Aman

The great mountain range that the Valar raised along the coastlands of Aman to keep their land of Valinor safe from Melkor, after he destroyed their original dwelling-place at Almaren. Also called the Pelóri, the Mountains of Defence, they were the tallest of all mountains, and the tallest of the Pelóri was Taniquetil, on which stood the high mansions of Manwë and Varda. Behind them to the West, the Light of the Trees shone, but the narrow shores beneath their eastern feet were in darkness.

When the Eldar came to Aman, the Valar cut a rift in the Mountains, the Calacirya, to let the Light shine through them. In that pass, the Vanyar and the Noldor built the city of Tirion, and the Pass of Light looked out onto the Bay of Eldamar. The Light of the Trees shone out across that Bay and lit the isle of Tol Eressëa, where the Teleri dwelt in those ancient days.