The Mausoleum of Halicarnassus is one of the Seven Wonders of the World. This building was built on behalf of King Mausolos by his wife and sister Artemisia. The structure, which resembles Greek architecture with its columns, also resembles Egyptian architecture with its pyramid-shaped roof. This tomb of very large dimensions also led the similar structures that came after it in terms of names.
The area of the mausoleum is organized as an open-air museum today. When entering, a basement-type house is seen on the right. On the left, there are reliefs related to the Mausoleum in the long structure, a model and some drawings and architectural pieces belonging to the structure.
Ancient authors record that the architect of the structure was Pytheos. The mausoleum was rising at the place where the pit seen today is located, as can be seen from the places where the bedrock was cut and the green stones. It is also mentioned in the historical records that the monument has been standing for 1500 years. The Halicarnassus Mausoleum, which was destroyed in an earthquake that took place in the fifteenth century, was found ruined by the knights of Saint Jean when they arrived in Bodrum.
The knights used the stones here in the construction of the Bodrum Castle. As a result, the remaining parts of the mausoleum were completely destroyed. When there is nothing left of this magnificent work to this day, this area has been organized as an open-air museum.