Bluewaters Island
| Bluewaters Island | |
|---|---|
 View of the beachfront | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Status | Complete[1] |
| Location | Jumeirah Beach Residence coastline, near Dubai Marina, Dubai, United Arab Emirates |
| Coordinates | 25°04′47″N 55°07′19″E / 25.07981°N 55.12206°E |
| Construction started | April 2013[2] |
| Estimated completion | Q1 2018[1] |
| Cost | AED 6 billion[2] |
Bluewaters Island is an artificial island 400 metres (1,300 ft) off the Jumeirah Beach Residence coastline, near Dubai Marina, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
The project was approved by Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and unveiled on February 13, 2013.[2][3] It is built on reclaimed land by Meraas Holding, with dredging work conducted by Van Oord,[4] the Dutch firm known for its work on Palm Jumeirah, at an estimated cost AED 6 billion (1.6 billion USD, including the Ain Dubai, formerly the Dubai Eye).[1] Construction was originally due to start in April 2013,[2] but actually began on May 20, 2013.[1] It opened in November 2018.[5]
The island includes entertainment, hospitality, residential, and retail zones, and is forecast to attract more than three million visitors annually.[2][3]
The island is home to Banyan Tree Dubai, formerly Caesars Palace Dubai, a five-star resort which re-opened under the new flag in November 2023 [1]. Bluewaters also has around 200 beverage and retail and food outlets in the ground level of residential buildings and entertainment section of the island.[6] The total number of residential buildings on the island is 10. Each of these is considered mid-rise and features 15 storeys or fewer.[7]
Ain Dubai
Bluewaters Island will feature the AED 1 billion ($274m[1]) Ain Dubai (formerly the Dubai Eye), a 274-metre (899 ft) tall giant Ferris wheel. It is 85.4 m (280 ft) the world's tallest Ferris wheel, taller than the previous worlds tallest Ferris wheel,167.6 m (550 ft) High Roller, which opened in Las Vegas in March 2014,[8] and 177.5 m (582 ft) taller than the 225.5 m (740 ft) New York Wheel planned for Staten Island.[9][10]
Design and construction are being undertaken by Hyundai Contracting and Starneth Engineering.[11] Construction started in May 2015.[12]
The wheel will be able to carry up to 1,400 passengers, in its 48 capsules, and provide views of Dubai Marina and landmarks such as Burj Al Arab, Palm Jumeirah.[2] Its base will serve as an entertainment zone, and an 89-square-metre (960 sq ft) LED screen will be mounted on the wheel creating an electronic platform for broadcasting, advertisements, and other information.[2][13] The first passenger capsule was installed on August 21, 2020.[14]
Ain Dubai has not been operational since March 2022, and the operators announced it would remain "closed indefinitely", without any further explanation.[15] However, as of July 2023 the LED displays on the structure continue to be illuminated at night and are visible from miles away.[16]
Madame Tussauds Dubai
The first Madame Tussauds in the Middle East opened in Dubai in September 2021. The wax figures are featured in a theme settings such of Music Party, Fashion, Leaders, Bollywood, Film, Sport and Media, Is features over 90 wax models.
Notable waxwork in the museum include Emirati first leaders Sheikh Zayed and Emirati second leaders Sheikh Khalifa, as well as global celebrities like Virat Kohli, Anushka Sharma, Maria Sharapova, Angelina Jolie, Aishwarya Rai, Ranveer Singh, Cate Blanchett, Johnny Depp, Shahid Kapoor, Shawn Mendes and Justin Timberlake. In 2022, a figure of the flight attendant for Emirates, was added and is the second figure to be made of the icon. A year later, the waxwork Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin was also added.
References
- ^ a b c d e "Work begins on $1.6bn Bluewaters island in Dubai". ConstructionWeekOnline.com. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Dh6b tourism project in Dubai unveiled". Gulf News. 13 February 2013. Retrieved 18 February 2013.
- ^ a b "Dubai unveils Dh6b hot spot". Khaleej Times. Archived from the original on 20 February 2015. Retrieved 18 February 2013.
- ^ "Van Oord wins dredging deal for Meraas island". Construction Week.
- ^ "Dubai island Bluewaters is now open - and you can walk there from JBR". The National. Retrieved 2020-02-19.
- ^ Four things you should know about Bluewaters Island https://gulfnews.com/business/property/four-things-you-should-know-about-bluewaters-island-1.2009001
- ^ "Bluewaters (Meraas)". Off-Plan Properties Dubai. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
- ^ Trejos, Nancy. "World's tallest Ferris wheel opens in Vegas". USA Today. Knight Ridder. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
- ^ "Dubai proposes Ferris wheel taller than planned Staten Island wheel; would be completed before NYC attraction". New York Daily News. Retrieved 18 February 2013.
- ^ "Dubai Eye: Construction Of World's Largest Ferris Wheel Set To Begin Later This Year". Travelers Today. Retrieved 18 February 2013.
- ^ Dubai eyes world's tallest observation wheel, CNN Travel.
- ^ Davids, Gavin (June 1, 2015). "First leg of Dubai Eye big wheel lifted into place". constructionnews.com. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
- ^ Deulgaonkar, Parag (June 29, 2015). "Oasis in sky: World's largest ferris wheel taking shape in Dubai". Emirates 24/7. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
- ^ Devlin, Grant (August 24, 2020). "Ain Dubai gets first passenger pod". The National. Retrieved 2020-08-24.
- ^ "Ain Dubai to remain closed until further notice". Arabian Business. 5 April 2023. Archived from the original on 20 June 2023. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
- ^ Rohan, Brian (9 July 2023). "The mystery of the Ain Dubai, the world's largest (broken) Ferris wheel". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 3 August 2023. Retrieved 12 July 2023.