The Mausoleum in Halicarnassus is one of the oldest wonders of the world. Not much of it  survived an earthquake in the 14th century, except the remains of columns, parts of the walls, the entrance to the tomb and  the former passages of the mausoleum. But you can imagine how grandiose the building is from the drawings and layout which are on display.  

It is very different in architecture from the buildings typical of that time in Greece. If the classical Hellenic temples have a rectangle at the base, and the height does not exceed the length of the facade, then judging from the drawings,  the Halicarnassus mausoleum has a square at the base, and the height is much greater than the length of the facade. 

The building had three tiers and served not only as a tomb for the king, but also as a sanctuary and a dynastic monument. At the base, in marble sarcophagi, the remains of the royal couple were kept. 

Inside, the building was decorated with bas-reliefs, outside there were sculptures of gods; and in the corners there were huge statues of guardian-warriors made of stone. The ensemble  stood for 17 centuries, until the walls were destroyed by the  earthquake in the 14th century. The townspeople decided not to restore it and used the fragments of stones to build the castle of St. Peter in Halicarnassus.