Bodrum Maussolleion

The Maussolleion is the oldest of the ancient sites in Bodrum (originally called Halicarnassus) and was built by Artemisia II in honour of her husband, the Grecian King Maussolos.
The Maussolleion, which was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, measured 32 metres by 38 metres and was built in an area measuring 108 metres by 242.5 metres.

There was a large platform from which 36 Ionic columns rose to form a temple. The roof was in the shape of a pyramid with 24 steps and on top of it there was a carriage drawn by four horses. Ýn the carriage were statues of Maussolos and Artemisia.
It is interesting that, according to the list of the Seven Wonders of the World, the height of the Maussolleion was 80 Ionic feet which is equivalent to 55 metres. These dimensions are taken as a basis for the model in the exhibition hall.

The monument stood intact for 1500 years, until it was destroyed by an earthquake in 1304. Today, regrettably, all that remains is the hollow where it once stood together with reliefs and designs depicting it. In order to visualise the grandeur of the Mausoleum as it actually was, one has to visit the adjacent exhibition hall.