Dubai's Taj Mahal by 2016

Taj Arabia, a 350-room hotel and serviced apartments that will be a replica of one of the original seven Wonders of the World, India's Taj Mahal, will be ready by early 2016, Emirates 24|7 can reveal.

“Our design has been finalised and we have got all the permissions from the authorities.

“We will soon issue tenders for earth and enabling works,” Link Global Group Company Director Arun Mehra told this website on the sidelines of Cityscape, Dubai's ongoing 3-day propery expo..

“It took us some time to get the permission from Dubai Municipality as they wanted to know more about our structure.
 

An artist's impression of the Taj Arabia. (Supplied)

“We gave them all the details following which they have given their approval.” The developer will, however, not use marble to build Taj Arabia, which is billed as ‘one-stop wedding destination’ in Falcon City of Wonders, Dubailand.

Instead, it will be an all-glass structure, which will house a hotel and 240 serviced apartments. India’s The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts will be managing the hotel.

20-storey high

Taj Arabia, previously stated to be three to four times larger than the original Taj Mahal in size, will actually be a 20-storey tower.

“Volume-wise it will be quite larger than Taj Mahal as we have a hotel and banquet hall at the basement,” says Mehra.

Under the new master plan, the residential component has been reduced, but the ‘souk’, which will house fashion brands, will continue to occupy one million square feet of space. The master development has now been renamed ‘Mughal Gardens from the Land of India’.

Sales start from December

Link Global plans to start selling residential and retail components from December.

“We are developing a wedding destination and there is demand for such a concept.”

Mehra says the company has funds in place to commence construction.

“We have partly tied up for finance. Besides, there are institutional investors willing to backing us.”

FalconCity is a multipurpose mega project and will feature structures based on famous sites and architectural marvels of the world such as the Pyramids, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Eiffel Tower and the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.