India is trying to block Bangladesh's copycat Taj Mahal

(Stereoscope photo from 1906)

A wealthy film director is spending £40 million to build an exact replica of the Taj Mahal in Bangladesh, but Indian officials are trying to block its constructing, claiming the Taj Mahal, which was completed in 1653 is protected by copyright.

For their part, Bangladeshi officials are incensed by suggestions that the Taj Mahal - which was built by the Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal, and completed in 1653 - is protected by some sort of copyright.
“I'm not sure what they are talking about,” one said. “Show me where it says that emulating a building like this can be illegal.”
To make his Taj, Mr Moni imported marble and granite from Italy and diamonds from Belgium to add to 160kg (350lb) of bronze. He hopes that his version of the mausoleum will attract tourists to Bangladesh, a country that is well off the beaten track for Western holidaymakers.

India is trying to block Bangladesh's copycat Taj Mahal

Mark Frauenfelder is the founder of Boing Boing and the editor-in-chief of MAKE and Cool Tools. Twitter: @frauenfelder. Come and hear Mark speak at the ALA conference in Chicago on July 1.

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Takuan

funny, dikes was the first thing I thought of too.
Anonymous

@15 Aninsomniac:
Wikipedia, at least, claims the black Taj Mahal was a myth, and I couldn’t find anything on what the dome represents. If you could cite a source, I would be appreciative.
flytch

This article should be titled as “hey that’s our touristy gimmick!” LOL I love it… and I wonder who is going to claim the mona lisa now that this has all come out? can I copy right it??? (evil grin)…
netsharc

Are they really serious? Who the hell would say “Oh let’s go to that 1-year old cheap copy of a majestic 17th century monument!”???
dculberson

Tak, they’re the first thing I usually think of.
Antinous

I, for one, welcome our new stereoscopic photo illustrations.

One the other hand, if they succeed in copyrighting an old building, Las Vegas is in deep shit.
TigerChip

Is this a joke? Even if a building could be protected under copyright law, it would have expired by now, like everything else written in the 17th century.
brlittle

I was really thrown by the “350 lbs” of bronze, thinking that seemed like a might insignificant amount. Turns out the finial of the Taj is, in fact, bronze. Still…amid mention of marble that must plainly be in the hundreds of tons, and however many carats of diamonds, you have to admit that “350 lbs” of bronze sounds pretty unimpressive.
- Antinous
  
  Here’s a visual reference for 350 lbs of bronze.
Keeper of the Lantern

An exact replica of the Taj Mahal for Â£40M?

The folks in India can stop worrying if that’s actually his budget.

It should be pointed out, however, that as the Taj was being designed (as a Mausoleum for Naour Mahal), it was supposed to be facing an identical copy for her husband, who built it.

So this is kinda sorta in line with the original plan!
MarlboroTestMonkey7

I’m quite sure they would obtain better results with a different building. But then again I don’t have Â£40 million. Guess it invalidates originality.
bfarn

He’s a filmmaker – The whole building’s prolly only 3 feet deep. 350lbs can build you a lot of flats.
arkizzle

Is this a joke? Even if a building could be protected under copyright law, it would have expired by now, like everything else written in the 17th century.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/6736809.stm

“The Church says Sony did not obtain permission to use the interior in the war game Resistance: Fall of Man.“
arkizzle

Ant@5

Thanks for the giggle.
Tzctlp

Why should a private individual be building dykes?

If he wishes to build a replica of the Taj Mahal and has the money to do it, it should be his own damn business.

Social utilities are the realm of governments, not well intentioned individuals, who may not be able to do such project competently (and to anybody saying that governments are useless, please, have a look at banks and car makers…).
Phrenzy

@1

I guess you have never heard of Disneyland. :)
Anonymous

previously: Egypt plans to “copyright antiquities” such as Sphinx, Pyramids
Brainspore

India doesn’t really want this stopped. They just want to see if they can get themselves a slice of that sweet antiquity-royalty pie.
guestblogger susie bright

test as per mark
Quiet Noises

@1

Or Las Vegas?
Mitch

I’m in ur subcontinent
copyin ur Taj Mahal.
Anonymous

Look at the picture of the real one and look at the photo of the replica in internet. I am sure it is not a close match; even I have doubts about the replica being a full scale one. No one can claim that they are making a Taj Mahal. It always will be a copy. So, India should not even bother about it. They should be proud having something, which is the original and the value is price less. Is Amitav Bachchan going to break all the wax dolls made without his permission in London, or may be he is getting royalty on the visits?

E. Haque Zia, Dhaka, Bangladesh
cherry shiva

@17: apparently random polygons have already evolved into the mona lisa. maybe bangladesh should be looking into that…
Secret_Life_of_Plants

Maybe it is apocryphal, but I always heard that there was supposed to have been built, an exact mirror replica of the Taj Mahal, all in Black, at the other end of the reflecting pool.

Any truth to that?

That would have been fantastic.
cherry shiva

the foundations of the “black taj” are there, but some scholars believe they are the ruins of the gardens of Babar, the first mughal emperor. i’ve seen them, it’s hard to say. tour guides promote the story. lots of info on this if you google: “black taj”,
along with other amusing rumors such as speculation that the architect of the white taj was italian. either way it’s awesome. try to get a moment alone in there and do some singing. the acoustics are phenomenal.
Pipenta

Susie, that’s your first entry? I’ve been a fan for years. And I have to say, I was expecting something a little flashier.
Noelegy

If they have that kind of money to spend, why not make something new and original to attract people to Bangladesh?
Takuan

the Ghost…
Superfluous Moniker

Like jobs building a replica? What’s labor go for around there?
sammich

RUN!!!!!!!
Takuan

(no no!) just move away verry, verry quietly…
aninsomniac

I read about the dome thing in a William Dalrymple book, I think. Not sure which one exactly. And yes, I guess there is no concrete proof that it was going to be the black Taj. Hmmm, I better google stuff before I spout it out.
aninsomniac

@11 Yes, it is true. Shah Jahan, the emperor who built the Taj Mahal in memory of his wife Mumtaz, wanted a black version of it on the opposite bank of the Yamuna. It was supposed to be his own memorial. Also, the Taj Mahal is supposed to represent a breast. So, it kinda figures that there should be two. You can still see the foundation of the Black Taj near the banks of Yamuna. He never got to finish it cuz his son Aurangzeb imprisoned him after arranging a coup and taking over the throne. Aurangzeb was a predecessor of the Al Qaeda and believed that Islam forbids luxury and artistic pursuits and so abolished everything aesthetic. Enough history lesson!

I don’t think India has to worry about the replica. For God’s sake, not even India can do a replica of the Taj. Anyone who has gone and seen it would understand the immensity of the work required. It took Shah Jahan 20 years and he was a King. Moreover, I am not sure if the plans of the Taj are available at all. So, good luck, Bangladesh. Perhaps you should use that 40million pounds for say, developmental projects? To stop the floosing that kills thousands every year? Yes? Just a suggestion.

-anin