If you want to see Moria in all its former splendour, the best and safest way to explore it is by goat. The Dwarves of the Moria expedition company sell goat rides for a few silver coins and the price is well worth the ride!
I especially recommend the ride from the First Hall to the Dolven-View which leads through all the beautiful passages and streets designed to impress even the Elves of Lothlorien.
But don’t just take my word for it, let the pictures convince you…
 A gallery lit by crystal lamps. |
 A beautifully carved stone gate. |
 Waterfalls with beautifully carved Dwarven heads. |
If you start out from the Dolven-view, in the heart of Moria, you will find it is a long and dangerous ride back to daylight. But do not despair – the goats are swift and secure in finding their footing amongst the rubble and avoiding pesky orcs and goblins.
Exiting the Dolven-view you will first be impressed by a bridge surrounded by water draining from various underground rivers – the pipes are carved in the likeness of Dwarves with long white beards. A stunning sight!
Waterfalls with beautifully carved Dwarven heads on the exit of Dolven-View. |
 Waterfalls with beautifully carved Dwarven heads on the exit of Dolven-View. |
 Waterfalls with beautifully carved Dwarven heads on the exit of Dolven-View. |
 A passage between the Great Delving and Zelem-Melek in Moria. |
 Looking back at the passage to the Great Delving, Moria. |
 A fortress in Zelem-Melek, Moria. |
 A fortress in Zelem-Melek, Moria. |
A beautifully carved stone gate in Zelem-Melek, Moria. |
Zelem-Melek is an education all by itself. Here the great prowess of the Dwarven race when it comes to carving and crafting stone to three-dimensional city structures really comes to light (pun not intended). Passages and tunnels open up to buildings and courts, showing that Moria is not simply a city built inside a mine – these structures are carved from the living rock itself.
 Giant Dwarven-heads watch over a bridge in Zelem-Melek, Moria. |
 A passage lined by giant battle-axes in Zelem-Melek, Moria. |
 A passage in Zelem-Melek, Moria. |
 A gallery lit by crystal lamps in Moria |
 A gallery lit by crystal lamps in Moria. |
A gallery lit by crystal lamps in Moria. |
 A courtyard in Zelem-Melek, Moria. |
 A courtyard in Zelem-Melek, Moria. |
Leaving Zelem-Melek one enters Nud-Melek, the Second Hall. This hall is praised by its visitors as being one of the finest examples of Dwarves and Elves working together – the pillars in the hall are carved in the likeness of great trees, uniting the love of living things with the love of stone.
 A view of Second Hall from the top of the stairs leading to Zelem-Melek, Moria. |
 A view of Second Hall from the top of the stairs leading to Zelem-Melek, Moria. |
 The stairs leading out of Second Hall towards Zelem-Melek, Moria. |
 A view of the ornamental ceiling in Second Hall, Nud-Melek, Moria. |
 Statues of Dwarven kings past are placed between the pillars in the Second Hall, Nud-Melek, Moria. |
 A view of the beautifully ornamented pillars and ceiling of the Second Hall, Nud-Melek, Moria. |
 Statues of Dwarven kings past are placed between the pillars in the Second Hall, Nud-Melek, Moria. |
 Pillars decorated as trees in the Second Hall, Nud-Melek, Moria. |
 An ornament on the ceiling of the Second Hall in Moria. |
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This concludes a short documentary on the ride through the heart of Moria. But really, you should take a ride yourself – pictures are simply not enough to show the greatness of this place.
((OOC: Bear with me, I completely forgot to note down the names of the places shown. If you remember them, please tell me in a comment!))
