DUBAI — Developers in Dubai are reportedly planning to construct a replica of the famous Taj Mahal, which would be over four times bigger than the original monument, news report said Saturday. The developers said that Taj Arabia, an imitation of the 360-year-old marble mausoleum that took Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan almost 22 years to build, will be constructed in a span of just two years, reported The Times of India. The billion-dollar project will be set in the heart of the 41-million sq ft Falcon City of Wonders on the Emirates Road. Taj Arabia will be symbolic of ‘love and romance' just like the Taj Mahal and will celebrate the union of couples by serving as the world's grandest wedding destination. “Marriage is a celebration. It needs to be announced and glorified. Currently Dubai is not regarded as a wedding destination. People go to Bali and other exoticplaces to marry. Now they will come to Taj Arabia,” Gulf News quoted Arun Mehra, chairman of the sub-developers of the mega project, as saying. According to the report, Taj Arabia will be a five-star hotel property with 300 rooms, and will be flanked by seven mixed-use buildings, two of which will have 200 serviced apartments. “Taj Arabia will not be a 100 percent replica as it has a different purpose. That said, we definitely want to create the same spirit of love and passion in today's moderntimes when divorce rates are fast picking up,” Mehra said. Dubai's Falcon City of Wonders, an integrated mega city shaped to represent the falcon which is the emblem of UAE's heritage, will include several historical and modern icons of architecture from around the world such as the Pyramids, Hanging Gardens, Eiffel Tower, Taj Mahal, Great Wall of China, and Leaning Tower of Pisa, the reports said. — SG
