Dubai to build billion-dollar replica of Taj Mahal

Dubai has unveiled plans for a billion-dollar reproduction of the Taj Mahal that will not only be four times bigger than the 17th century original but contain a shopping center, a 300-room five-star hotel, serviced apartments and bridal stores.

Developers in the Gulf city want to use the Taj Arabia project to attract wedding business. The aim is to complete the project in two years, compared to the 22 years it took to build the marble mausoleum at Agra dedicated by the Indian emperor Shah Jahan to his third wife Mumtaz.

Developers hope it will be known as the "New City of Love."

"Imagine if this immaculate tribute to love could be the setting for the milestone event in the life of a man and woman," says the greeting on the project's website. "This dream will soon become reality."

"Currently Dubai is not regarded as a wedding destination. People go to Bali and other exotic places to marry. Now they will come to Taj Arabia," Arun Mehra, chairman of Link Global Group, told the Xpress newspaper.

The biggest target market is the hundreds of thousands of Indians living in the United Arab Emirates and neighboring countries.

Dubai: The Taj Mahal Replica will stand close to the Leaning Tower of Pisa and other wonders of the world

Taj Arabia will be located as part of an even bigger project, the Falconcity of Wonders, which will also feature replicas of the Pyramids, the Hanging Gardens, the Eiffel Tower, the Great Wall of China and the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

The project has been delayed for several of years by the economic downturn.

Courtesy: Daily Telegraph