The Mausoleum of Halicarnassus

This ancient Wonder was not listed as wonder because of its size it got place as Wonder because of its beauty though this also a burial place of a king, it fascinated its visitors for years. Being a burial place of a King haven’t mean that it got place in list of Wonders and neither it got that because of the size like pyramid. It became famous because of its astonishing beauty. It’s situated in the southwest Turkey’s city Bodrum on the Aegean Sea.

The ancient Persian kingdom was expanded to Mesopotamia, Northern India, Syria, Egypt, and Asia Minor because of such vast empire the king failed to have control over it, and it became hard to keep control on all those captured lands. From 377 to 353 BC King Mausollos of Caria and he moved his capital to Halicarnassus. There is nothing that we can found about Maussollos life except construction of his tomb. The idea about this project was conceived by his wife and sister Artemisia and its believed that construction of tomb was started in King’s life.

The Mausoleum was completed around 350 BC, it was completed 3 years after the death of the Maussollos.

It was having rectangular structure, with base dimensions of about 40m X 30m. The total height of Mausoleum was 45m (140 ft). Its height descended almost 20m (60 ft) for the stepped podium, 12 m (38 ft) for the colonnade, 7m (22ft) for the pyramid and 6 m (20ft) for the chariot at the top.

For almost 16 centuries The Mausoleum remained in good condition until it was struck by earthquake that damaged its roof and colonnade. The Knights of St. John of Malta invaded in early 15^th century and there they decided to build a massive crusader castle and it is said that blocks and stones of Mausoleum was used in that castle’s construction. Today that massive castle still stands in Bodrum, and the stones and blocks of Mausoleum can be seen in walls of the castle. On the site of Mausoleum only its foundations remain.