I guess when you’ve got a ton of sand and water available and time to spare, you’d be a fool not to build a giant replica of Minas Tirith, the fantasy capital city of Gondor from Lord of the Rings. At least that’s what I assume Joseph Alvanez was thinking when he decided to create his massive tribute to one of the greatest stories ever written. Alvanez’s Minas Tirith measured approximately 10’ by 12’ and was made completely of sand and water, and it stood proudly until he realized that one of the kids who helped him had buried his cell phone in one of the houses.

Actually, it was that worthless wench Mother Nature who did Alvanez’s great achievement in.

Tolkien’s White City of Gondor might have resisted the forces of Mordor, but Joseph’s replica was destroyed by its most feared enemy – rain. “A rain storm came from the south blasting half of the city and causing the buildings to melt and crumble. The other half however was sheltered from the storm by the spur which protrudes from the middle city and remained mostly intact,” the artist wrote on his DeviantArt page. The awesome-looking sand structure may not be standing anymore, but the photos taken by Joseph in its glory days are a worthy legacy. (Via Oddity Central)

It would have been even better if he dressed a little sand crab up in a white robe and let it run around on top of the castle like Gandalf. And then he could have set another crab on fire and named it Denethor, so it could run screaming from the top of the sand castle. But I guess that would be kind of cruel. Either way, I hope he was at least wearing this tank top while he built his castle.