DUBAI: The Gulf emirate of Dubai will build a city of life-size replicas of seven wonders of the world at an estimated cost of $1.5 billion to house offices, shops and flats, a developer said.

The Falcon City of Wonders is the latest of a host of ambitious construction projects in the booming trade hub, which is part of the United Arab Emirates.

Three buildings will be modelled on structures that were part of the original list of the “Seven Wonders of the Ancient World” — the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, and the Lighthouse of Alexandria.

Others will be replicas of more modern wonders — the Eiffel Tower, the Taj Mahal, the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Great Wall of China, a statement said. The structures will house flats, office space, hotels and shopping malls.

The project is led by the Falcon City of Wonders Company, owned by local businessman Salem al Moosa, a spokesman said. It is part of the multi-billion-dollar Dubailand development, a government-run project to help promote tourism.

There were no details on who would build Falcon City, when construction would begin or how long it would take to finish.

The spokesman said the estimated cost was 5.5 billion dirhams ($1.5 billion).

UAE property firm Benaa has been contracted to build a 6.5 billion dirham Golf City inside Dubailand, a large sprawl of desert next to Dubai on the Gulf coast.—Reuters