By the 6th Century BC, Halicarnassus had fallen under the Lydian and then the Persian rule and it reached its zenith when it became the capital of Caria in 353 BC. During his 24-year- rule, King Mausolus started building his own tomb, which is regarded as one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Today only its foundations are visible. After the death of the King the magificent Mausoleum was completed by his sister and wife Artemisia II.