Dubai to build its own Taj Mahal

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The UAE emirate of Dubai plans to build its own Taj Mahal at a cost of $1 billion.

Taj Arabia will be about four times the size of the original monument in India, the Gulf News quoted the developers as saying last week.

The billion dollar project, which is expected to be ready by late 2014, will be set in the heart of the 41 million sq foot Falcon City of Wonders on Emirates road.

Taj Arabia will celebrate the union of couples by serving as the world's grandest wedding destination, according to the daily.

"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 exotic places to marry. Now they will come to Taj Arabia," said Arun Mehra, chairman of the Link Global Group, sub-developers of the mega project.

Surrounded by lush green landscapes, including the famous Mughal Gardens, the "New City of Love" will have several architecturally themed residential and commercial buildings.

Taj Arabia will be a five-star hotel property with 300 rooms. It will be flanked by seven mixed use buildings, the daily said.

The Taj Mahal, which is situated in the northern Indian town of Agra, is a Unesco World Heritage site.

It was completed more than 350 years ago by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan as a shrine for his wife Mumtaz. It took more than 20 years to build.