A Saudi developer is to build a gigantic $250-million observation wheel in Jeddah, making the city the fifth in the world to have such a spectacular landmark, after Singapore, Beiing, Orlando and Berlin.

The wheel will form part of the Jeddah City Centre project, the Arab News reported.
The agreement was signed by Ghassan Al Sulaiman, chairman of the City Centre Development Company that is leading the project, and Florian Bollen, chairman of the Great Wheel Corporation, it said.
The Jeddah Wheel will be surrounded by a hotel, a museum, shopping malls and a variety of restaurants and cafes. The central area will also have a park, a beach, a museum, an open arena for festivities and a fountain.
“The Great Wheel Corporation conducted a study in the Middle East and North African region and found that only two cities had the makings for hosting a great wheel project, with Jeddah being one of those two,” the paper quoted Bollen as saying.
Construction will begin next year with the hotel and wheel due to open in 2012. The hotel will have 350 rooms and restaurants. The wheel will be 150 m high and is expected to attract an estimated 500,000 visitors each year, the report added.