Mystery in Dubai as world’s largest ferris wheel stops turning

By Agence France-Presse: Two years in the past, Dubai’s skyscraper-studded skyline welcomed a Ferris wheel touted because the world’s largest, but it surely mysteriously stopped turning simply months after opening.

The much-touted Ain Dubai (Dubai Eye) was designed as a tourist-luring landmark within the United Arab Emirates’ glam-hub, which is house to the world’s tallest constructing.

But now it stands idle for undisclosed causes, its extravagant lighting fixtures the one elements seemingly nonetheless working.

“Ain Dubai remains closed until further notice,” says an official web site for the attraction.

“We continue to rigorously work on completing the enhancement works that have been taking place over the past months.”

The wheel was supposed to shut for only a month however its reopening has since been postponed indefinitely.

Those behind the mission inaugurated in 2021 have did not reply to enquiries.

At eating places, outlets and cafes constructed across the attraction, workers stay sceptical that the construction, which took round six years to construct, will ever flip once more.

“Last year they promised us that in winter it will be open, even now, they are saying that in (the coming) winter it will be open again,” mentioned one worker at a close-by store.

“But we’re not sure… it will,” mentioned the person who requested to stay nameless on account of worry of reprisal.

– ‘Too gradual’ –

The Dubai Eye, constructed by a consortium of worldwide firms, is positioned in Bluewaters — a man-made island designed as a retail, residential and leisure hub.

For greater than a 12 months, the principle entrance to the attraction has remained closed and ticket cubicles deserted. Only a gradual trickle of vacationers go to the location, snapping photos of LED lights mounted on its exterior.

“I asked a security guard here about it and he told me that it doesn’t work,” mentioned Marwan Mohammad, an Egyptian vacationer.

“I asked him for the reason but he did not give me an answer,” mentioned the 33-year-old enterprise advisor.

In a metropolis stuffed with record-breaking landmarks, the Dubai Eye stands at a top of 250 metres (825 ft), every of its legs the size of 15 London buses, in keeping with Dubai’s tourism division.

Nearly twice as tall because the London Eye, it’s the largest of its variety on the planet.

Its 48 passenger cabins, all of them air-conditioned, can carry round 1,750 passengers on a single experience.

Ticket costs vary between 100 dirhams (about $27) and 4,700 dirhams (about $1,280), with luxurious passes and personal cabins on provide.

“The view was very beautiful from above,” mentioned Mohammad who skilled the 38-minute experience earlier than it closed, including nevertheless, that it moved “too slowly”.

– ‘Heavier than island’ –

With no official rationalization, rumours are rife on the Ferris wheel’s obvious technical points, particularly amongst workers at Bluewaters.

They all spoke on situation of anonymity, fearing repercussions from authorities or their employers.

“This is a man-made island. I heard that (the wheel) is heavier than the island itself, that’s why it is very dangerous,” mentioned a waiter at a close-by restaurant, including that it had been noisy throughout its few months of operation.

“Now… it’s only for show, just for the lighting and that’s it”.

The large wheel, made from extra metal than the Eiffel Tower, options prominently on the checklist of Dubai’s prime vacationer points of interest.

They embody the Dubai Frame monument and Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest constructing.

Patrick Clawson, analysis director on the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, mentioned official silence on the Ferris wheel prompt an advanced drawback.

UAE authorities are typically “quick to provide information if they” have an answer, he mentioned.

But with the Dubai Eye, “whatever the problem, the authorities are not confident they have a solution,” he informed AFP.