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Bangladeshi version of Taj Mahal to open soon
The new Taj Mahal in Bangladesh is expected to open to the public this month after work on the replica is completed.
- Agencies
- Published: 08:43 December 7, 2008
Sonargaon: The new Taj Mahal in Bangladesh is expected to open to the public this month after work on the replica is completed.
Bangladeshi filmmaker Ahsanullah Moni had the life-size structure built in 2003 so that Bangladeshis can see India's famed monument.
"Everyone dreams about seeing the Taj Mahal but very few Bangladeshis can make the trip because it's too expensive for them," Moni said.
He said he hoped his version, located northeast of the capital Dhaka, would prove as big a draw to local and foreign visitors as the original.
The structure cost $58 million and took five years to build. Moni imported marble and granite from Italy and diamonds from Belgium for the new Taj.
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