Ain Dubai Observation Wheel
The giant observation wheel Ain Dubai, previously known as "Dubai-I", was officially inaugurated on 21 October 2021. It was constructed on Bluewaters Island by Meeras Holding and is 83 metres taller than the High Roller in Las Vegas and 115 metres taller than the London Eye.
The name 'Ain', which means 'eye' in Arabic, was given to the project because it provides visitors with a bird's eye view of Dubai's skyline.
Around the rim of the wheel there are 48 luxury observation cabins capable of holding more than 1,750 visitors who are able to look out over Dubai's iconic landmarks such as Burj Al Arab, Palm Jumeirah and Burj Khalifa.
250 metres: height of Ain Dubai, making it the world’s tallest observation wheel.
38 minutes: duration of one rotation of the wheel.
5 tonnes: the weight of each permanent spoke cable that holds the wheel rim in place.
1 football pitch: length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional football pitch.
2,400 kilometres: distance of all the cable wires housed inside the spoke cables if they were joined end to end, equal to the distance from Dubai to Cairo.
16 Airbus A380s: the equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
167 metres: height of world’s second tallest observation wheel – the High Roller in Las Vegas.
135 metres: height of world’s third tallest observation wheel – the London Eye.
126 metres: length of the legs that support the structure.
15 London buses can fit inside each leg.
11,200 tonnes: steel used in the construction of Ain Dubai.
33% more steel: than iron used on The Eiffel Tower.
More than ten countries: involved in the making of Ain Dubai.
9,000,000 man-hours: time taken to build Ain Dubai.
2: number of the world's largest cranes used to assemble key components.
Ain Dubai Observation Wheel Location
The map below shows the location of Ain Dubai Observation Wheel and just below are summaries of the nearest attractions, parks, beaches, golf clubs and cinemas.
Design Stage
Images depicting the initial concept designs for Ain Dubai Observation Wheel.
Projects often go though a number of design revisions as they progress and developers may or may not honour their original plans when it comes to architectural designs, amenities and landscaping. The images below are provided as a means to compare the original plans with the realised development.
Construction History
See the development of Ain Dubai Observation Wheel in photos.
The 6.25-metre diameter spindle is made of steel, similar to that used for nuclear plants. It was manufactured and assembled in the UAE and shipped to Bluewaters Island since it could not be transported on land.
The assembled hub and spindle is approximately 40 metres long and 20 metres high and weighs a massive 1,805 tonnes, equivalent to four A380 aircraft. It was lifted into place on top of the 126 metre-high legs at the end of May 2016 by two of the world's largest cranes, each comprising a 180 metre-long boom and capable of lifting loads of over 3,000 tonnes each.
The process of welding the spindle's A-frames to the four legs took approximately four weeks with the cranes continuing to support the weight of the unit for the first two weeks of the operation.
During construction the rim of the wheel was supported by temporary steel braces weighing over 5,000 tonnes. These have been removednow that the outer rim has been connected to the hub via 192 permanent spoke cables so that it now resembles a gigantic bicycle wheel.
The original completion date was the end of 2018, but was missed. In April 2019 Meraas confirmed that Ain Dubai will be completed in time for the Expo 2020 Dubai celebrations.
Ain Dubai Observation Wheel in the News
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