Mausoleum

Founded some time in the 11th century BC, the ancient kingdom of Caria (which encompassed modern-day Bodrum) became absorbed into the Persian Empire, although it continued to exercise a degree of autonomy until the arrival of Alexander two centuries later. During that time its most famous leader (satrap) was Mausolus (r 376–353 BC), an admirer of Greek culture, who moved the capital from Mylasa to Halicarnassus. After his death, his wife (and sister), Artemisia, undertook the construction of a monumental tomb, as planned by Mausolus himself and designed in a Hellenic-style by Pytheos, the man behind the Temple of Athena at Priene. The Mausoleum – an enormous white-marble tomb topped by a stepped pyramids – became one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and stood relatively intact for almost 19 centuries, until it was broken up by the Crusaders in 1522 and the pieces were 'recycled' as building material for other structures. The most impressive remains, including friezes incorporated into the walls of the Castle of St Peter, and statues of Mausolus and Artemesia, were shipped off to the British Museum in London in the 19th century, where they remain.

Despite the almost utter obliteration the site is still worth visiting. It has pleasant gardens, with the excavations to the right and a covered arcade to the left. The arcade contains a copy of the famous frieze now in the British Museum. The four original fragments on display were discovered more recently. Models, drawings and documents give an idea of why this tomb made Pliny's list of Wonders. Other exhibits include a model of Halicarnassus at the time of King Mausolus, and a model of the Mausoleum and its precincts.

However, don't hold your breath in anticipation of the grandeur of the site. Of the remains, only a few things survive: the pre-Mausolean stairways and tomb chambers, the Mausolean drainage system, the entry to Mausolus' tomb chamber, a few bits of precinct wall and some large fluted marble column drums.