The great tower built beneath Mount Mindolluin, west of the River Anduin, in the earliest days of Gondor. Its position west of the River, compared with Isildur's tower of Minas Ithil in the east, is the reason for its association with the 'Setting' Sun.

Historically, It was the tower of Anárion the son of Elendil, and over the centuries it came to replace Osgiliath as the seat of the Kings of Gondor. A thousand years before the War of the Ring, Minas Ithil was captured by the Nazgûl, and the Tower of the Setting Sun became the Tower of Guard, Minas Tirith. With its new name, the city remained a barrier to the forces of Mordor throughout the next millennium.