Proposed 'Baghdad Eye' to be over 200ft taller than iconic London counterpart

London, August 28 : Iraqi authorities are inviting companies to submit designs to make a giant Ferris wheel in Baghdad, as part of a strategy to make the capital a leisure friendly city.

The Baghdad Eye, as the Ferris wheel in the city will be called, will soar more than 650 feet over the city and feature air-conditioned compartments.

Adel al-Ardawi, a media official with Baghdad's municipality, revealed that the wheel would carry up to 30 passengers.

"This wheel will be taller than the iconic 443-foot London Eye," the Daily Express quoted al-Ardawi as saying.

He said that there were three locations out of which one could be selected for the project.

Before any such decision was taken, he added, the officials would concentrate more on the proposals being submitted.

Al-Ardawi, however, declining to give an estimated construction cost or timeline.

"We hope to attract a great number of customers who will be able to see the whole city and enjoy the restaurants and pools on ground below," he said.

Officials say that a decline in insurgent attacks and sectarian bloodshed in the recent past is offering them a great opportunity to promote tourism.

Iraq's Tourism Board even wants investors to develop a "romantic" island on the Tigris River in Baghdad, which was once a popular honeymoon spot for newlywed Iraqis, the US military announced this week.

ANI