If you lived in Bangladesh, would you pay to visit an exact copy of the Taj Mahal instead of making the schlep to India for the real thing? That’s what filmmaker Ahsanullah Moni was banking on when he decided to fund a £40m replica — using the same marble and stone as in the original Taj — about 20 miles northeast of Dhaka, the Bangladeshi capital, reports the Times.
This news brings up an interesting issue: Are famous monuments subject to the same architectural copyright laws as other creative works? If not, which international wonders should we rip off for own country, and which wealthy American filmmakers are going to fund it?
Our wish list, and some suggested donors, after the jump.
The Moscow Kremlin (Sofia Coppola)
Great Wall of China (Steven Spielberg)
Great Pyramid of Giza (George Lucas)
Shwedagon Pagoda (Wes Anderson)
Acropolis of Athens (Woody Allen)
Angkor Wat (Danny Boyle)