The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus

The Mausoleum of Halicarnassus was built by the wife of the Carian ruler Mausolus in 353 B. C. This tomb was of such great size and, with its sculptured friezes, so beautiful, that fragments of it are preserved in Turkey and at the British Museum.

The Mausoleum of Halicarnassus also known as Tomb of Mausolus. This was a built between 353 and 350 B.C. at Halicarnassus ( present Bodrum, Turkey ) for Mausolus, a satrap in the Persian Empire, and Artemisia II of Caria, his wife and sister. The structure was designed by the Greek architects Satyros and Pythis. It stood approximately 45 m (148 ft) in height, and each of the four sides was created by each one of four Greek sculptors — Leochares, Bryaxis, Scopas of Paros and Timotheus.

The destruction of the Mausoleum started with a series of small earthquakes that destroyed the inner columns and made the marble chariot fall to the ground in 1404 AD. In the early 15th century (14 hundreds) the knights of St John from Malta invaded the region and built a gigantic castle.When they decided to fortify the castle in 1494 they used almost every block of marble from the Mausoleum to fortify the castle, but you can still see the left over blocks of marble some 600 years later.

Mausolus decided to build a new capital; a city as safe from capture as it was magnificent to be seen. He chose the city of Halicarnassus. If Mausolus' ships blocked a small channel, they could keep all enemy warships out. He started to make of Halicarnassus a capital fit for a warrior prince.  On land they paved streets and squares, and built houses for ordinary citizens. And on one side of the harbor they built a massive fortified palace for Mausolus, positioned to have clear views out to sea and inland to the hills — places from where enemies could attack.

On land, the workmen also built walls and watchtowers, Greek style 

theater and a temple to Ares - the Greek god of war.