King Mausolus’ Mausoleum, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World is to be rebuilt in Bodrum.
Bodrum Mayor Mazlum Agan, who is currently running for his third term, has revealed plans to construct a model replica of Mausoleum near the 2,500 year old ancient theatre in Bodrum. What's left of the real Mausoleum is currently on display in the British Museum.
"The place of King Mausolus’ Mausoleum is being visited by thousands of tourists every year. However, they can only see remains of the mausoleum. For that reason, we will build a model mausoleum on a one-to-one scale of the original mausoleum."
The Mausoleum of King Mausolus is an enormous (50m tall) white marble tomb, with iconic columns encapsulated by a stepped pyramid roof, and adorned by a four-horse-drawn carriage on top. The tomb came to be known as the finest tomb in the world.
The tomb was ordered by Mausolus' wife Queen Artemisia when her husband died in 353 BC. Statues of Artemisia and Mausolus lie inside the carriage.
The original site of the tomb now has gardens, with an active archaeological dig to the right, and a covered arcade to the left. The arcade contains a copy of the famous frieze mainly recovered from the castle walls. The original was sent to the British Museum in London in 1846. Four original fragments were discovered more recently.
The replica of the Mausoleum can't really be anything but spectacular, and it will no doubt be massively popular with the thousands of tourists who visit the site of the Mausoleum each year. This could also draw attention to Bodrum's rich history and make it more popular with tourists, and Bodrum property more popular with holiday home buyers.
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