The famous tomb at Halicarnassus—now the city of Bodrum—was built between 370 and 350 B.C. for King Mausolus of Caria, a region in the southwest of modern Turkey. Legend says that the king's grieving wife Artemisia II had the tomb constructed as a memorial to their love.
Mausolus was a satrap, or governor, in the Persian Empire, and his fabled tomb is the source of the word "mausoleum." The structure measured 120 feet (40 meters) long and 140 feet (45 meters) tall.
The tomb was most admired for its architectural beauty and splendor. The central burial chamber was decorated in gold, while the exterior was adorned with ornate stone friezes and sculptures created by four Greek artists.
The mausoleum stood intact until the early 15th century, when Christian Crusaders dismantled it for building material for a new castle. Some of the sculptures and frieze sections survived and can be seen today at the British Museum in London, England.
译文:
土耳其的摩索拉斯陵墓
这座位于索洛斯墓庙（今日的玻得兰Bodrum）的著名陵墓，建于公元前370-350年，是为Caria（今日土耳其西南部）的国王摩索拉斯建造的。传说，是痛失国王的王妃阿特米西亚二世，为了纪念他们之间的爱情而建造的。
摩索拉斯在波斯帝国是一个总督，，或者说是统治者。他的这座坟墓也正是单词陵墓（mausoleum）的词源。陵墓有120英尺（约合40米）长，140英尺（约合45米）高。
陵墓再其建筑上的辉煌与壮观为世所公认。墓室的中央由黄金装饰，外部则由四位希腊艺术家所打造的华丽宝石和雕刻品装饰。
在15世纪之前，陵墓从未被人动过，完好无损。直到基督教的十字军战士拆除了它，用它的原材料重新建造了一座城堡。而其中一些雕塑和石材，今天被英国伦敦的大英博物馆所保存。