Ain Dubai is the world's largest ferris wheel. It is located on Bluewaters Island in the Dubai Marina, in the city of Dubai. Dubai is a fast-growing and ultra-modern city in the country of the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.).

The Ain Dubai wheel is 250 meters tall (over 800 feet). It is far taller than Las Vegas' "High Roller", the second tallest ferris wheel, which is 168 meters in height. It is taller than the giant ferris wheels in Singapore, China, or London.

From an engineering standpoint, Ain Dubai is a remarkable achievement. Each spoke* of Ain Dubai is over 100 yards long (over 300 feet, and longer than an American football field). The steel and glass structure weighs over 9,000 tons (over 18 million pounds). There is more steel in the Ain Dubai than even the Eiffel Tower in France. According to a Wikipedia™ article on the topic of Ain Dubai, the record-setting ferris wheel was designed and built by Hyundai Engineering & Construction, (which is a part of the Hyundai group of companies) and Starneth Engineering. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ain_Dubai)

*spoke - like on a bicycle wheel, the many thin metal wires that connect the center hub to the perimeter rim.

The operators of the Ain Dubai want prospective visitors to know more about the exciting experience their attraction offers. Here is a blurb from their website:

"Enjoy an Arabian sunset or a glittering skyscape at night, all from the comfort of an air-conditioned cabin*. The shared capsule-shaped space offers 38 minutes of pure entertainment. Whip out your phone or camera and snap pictures of famous sights like The Palm, Dubai Marina, and Burj Al Arab." (https://www.bayut.com/mybayut/ain-dubai-guide/)

*air-conditioning is essential to helping riders enjoy their experience. In the summer months, the temperatures in Dubai can reach over 40°C (104°F).

Riders of Ain Dubai can also see the spectacular Burj Khalifa, the tallest building on Earth. This building is over 829 meters in height (2,722 feet, which is just over half a mile in the sky), and has an astounding 163 floors. (Learn more about Burj Khalifa at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burj_Khalifa#Floor_plans)

All of the modern landmark attractions in Dubai have been extremely expensive to build. In addition to Ain Dubai, the city of Dubai has tourist attractions like waterparks, aquariums, a zoo, zip-lines, indoor snow skiing, and more. You might ask, "Where does a country get the money to pay for all the buildings, attractions, hotels, restaurants, highways, and airports needed to support its tourism industry?" (Watch this YouTube™ video about the waterpark: https://youtu.be/MTXCzi1r7WE)

The answer used to be pumping crude oil from deep underground. Like many other countries in the Middle East, pumping crude oil needed to make fuel (gas) for cars, trucks, trains, planes, and ships, was once a principal source of wealth in Dubai. But now, Dubai's prosperous economy comes from diversified sources, including tourism, IT (technology companies), finance (banks), real estate (expensive buildings), and tax-free or low-tax business zones, which attract a lot of money from people living in higher tax countries. (Read more about Dubai's wealth at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Dubai)

It wasn't cheap to build Ain Dubai, and tickets to ride Ain Dubai aren't cheap. Tickets vary in price, based on the age of the passenger, the time of day the ride is taken, whether the ride is taken with strangers or with a private group, and whether beverages are purchased. Tickets start at 130 AED, or $35 US, and slightly less for children. Tickets with private cabins, along with food and beverages, go for around 770 AED, or $210 US. The air conditioned cabins each have a maximum occupancy of 10 persons.

The opening of Ain Dubai was highly anticipated both by the builders of Ain Dubai as well as observation wheel-riding enthusiasts. The grand opening was originally scheduled to take place on October 20, 2020, in order to happen together with Expo 2020. But due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the opening was postponed until a year later and opened on October 21, 2021.