Mausoleum of Halicarnassus

Mausoleum of Halicarnassus

Location

In the city of Bodrum (f.k.a. Halicarnassus) on the Aegean Sea, in south-west Turkey. 

This wonder was created as an act of sisterly affection by Queen Artemisia for the deceased King Mausolus – her brother and husband.
It was built in 351 B.C in what is now Bodrum, Turkey. At 135ft tall its height wasn’t particularly impressive, but the sculptures that adorned the structure made it a wonder. The courtyard surrounding the Mausoleum was decorated with carved animals and a mounted stone soldier at each of its four corners; each side of the Mausoleum was adorned with relief carvings depicting battles and generals; the exterior was decorated with thirty-six columns and stone soldiers stood watch between each; at the top of the Mausoleum was a quadriga – a chariot pulled by four horses – led by statues of King Mausolus and his sibling Queen Artemisia.
It wasn’t until the 11th century A.D that earthquakes started to collapse the pillars and roof, but during its time intact it was so well known that the name Mausolus became the root for the word mausoleum, today meaning any ornate tomb. By the 15th century, earthquakes had caused the structure to completely collapse, and when in 1522 the crusading knights of St. John needed stone to fortify Castle Bodrum, they took the marble blocks from the ruins of the Mausoleum.
The Knights also found several intact statues. Those they liked were displayed in the castle, but those that didn’t meet the crusaders’ standards were ground up and used for lime to make plaster. Perhaps if you look at the walls in Castle Bodrum you’ll see bits of the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. 

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