Bangladesh’s Taj Mahal Knockoff

The real Taj Mahal © Christian Haugen

Vagabondish is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Read our disclosure.

On a plot of farmland outside Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka, there stands a reproduction of India’s Taj Mahal. The replica is the work of Ahsanullah Moni, a Bangladeshi filmmaker and hotelier.

Moni was inspired by a visit to the real Taj Mahal in 1980 and since beginning construction he has reportedly poured 58 million dollars into the imitation Taj.

Despite the high price tag, Moni’s aspirations have not dwindled.

“I will build a pyramid bigger than the one in Egypt”¦It will be my next gift to Bangladesh.”

Looks like Moni is just one Eiffel Tower short of a Vegas strip replica.

Get the entire story and video at the Huffington Post.

  1. The fake Taj did not cost $58M. From the article you linked to:

    “His Taj would be built using modern methods and cost $58 million” read earlier, pre-construction articles. But in reality, “In size and proportion the attraction bears only a slight resemblance to the Indian wonder, as if made from a sketch or a decade-old memory. It might have cost $58,000 to build. The central structure and its four minarets were obviously clad in bathroom tiles…”

  2. Heythere — Thanks for posting this trifle. Reuters and the rest bought Moni’s tale and ran with it. But there’s no way he spent one million dollars on his Taj, much less 58 of them. The world loves a showman,and showmen embellish. Moni’s business card has a picture of his hotel, a shining and modern 12-story glass tower. The real hotel, just across the street from his movie house, is five stories of dingy concrete. Best/DM

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Let's Make Sure You're Human ... * Time limit is exhausted. Please reload CAPTCHA.

Subscribe to Our 'Under the Radar' Newsletter
If you love travel, you're gonna love this!