The Mausoleum of Halicarnassus drawing tourists worldwide

Friday, June 1, 2018

Back in 1857, few sections of the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus may have been smuggled to the British Museum, however, the ruins of the 2,000-year-old structure in the Aegean city of Bodrum have been attracting visitors for quite some time now.

 
The Mausoleum of Halicarnassus is one of the Seven Wonders of the World. In the first quarter of this year, the site was visited by around 3,500 people.

 
The construction of the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus happened when the Caria King Mausolus was still active and reigning. The structure was completed by the well-known architects and sculptors of the 352 B.C. After the demise of the king, the site was regarded as one of the Seven Wonders of the World by writers of the ancient era.

 
Some fragments of the mausoleum, like the fragmentary horse from a colossal four-horse chariot group which was at the top of the podium of the building, was taken by British archaeologist Thomas Newton along with his team to Britain. Nevertheless, the remains are still in Bodrum, where it belongs, and has been creating great interest among tourists worldwide.

 
Speaking to state-run Anadolu Agency, Yaşar Yıldız, a former director at the Bodrum Castle Underwater Archaeology Museum, explained that the structure was transported by sea.

 
“The giant memorial monument was carried on the Saray Street and loaded to a ship to be transported to the U.K. In 1857, the British archaeologist supposedly obtained permission from the Ottoman state and carried out works here. He took these artifacts to the British Museum but there is no written permission document,” he added.

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