Excavating the Mines of Moria

[Findegil]

It is recorded that the drawarves in the ealier ages were the most important builders of roads im Middle-Earth. Think about old Dwarven-Road running from the Havens of the Falas east at least as far as the eastern edge of Mirkwood and proberbly beyond that further on to the eastern Dwarven kingdoms. Road building need a lot of stone, especially if it is a good road and these were good roads considering how long they were in use.

Respectfully
Findegil

[William Cloud Hicklin]

"It's also possible that the mines began as part of a large natural system of caverns"

JRRT does at one point say that Durin discovered the caves above Dimrill-dale and chose to make his home there.

[narfforc]

In Chapter 10 of The Silmarillion, OF THE SINDAR, it states that, Far to the east were the most ancient dwellings of the Naugrim, but they had delved for themselves great halls and mansions, after the manner of their kind, in the eastern end of Ered Luin. These were Nogrod and Belegost. It goes on to say that greatest of all the mansions of the dwarves was Khazad-dum. The Sindarin name is Hadhodrond which translates as Khazad(dwarf)-hall (rond can be vaulted or arched roof, and dome), also known as the Dwarrowdelf. In the index to The Silmarillion, Christopher includes this:- See Khazad; dum is probably a plurural or collective, meaning 'excavations, halls, mansions.