Inside insane Qatar waterpark with world’s TALLEST slide as big as Big Ben as workers rush to finish it for World Cup

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QATAR is rushing to finish one of the world’s most insane water parks before the end of the World Cup.

Billions of pounds have been spent building the city of Lusail from the ground up – but not everything has been ready on time.

Pictures shared this week show The Icon Tower water slide complex under construction

Earthmovers remain around the pools – which were hoped to be open for footie fans

Google MapsThe complex in the center also remains under construction in Lusail[/caption]

And one of the features still being frantically developed is the incredible Meryal Waterpark on Qetaifan Island North.

The island is part of the man made archipelago and is meant to be one of the city’s entertainment hubs.

And its centrepiece is a stagger 260feet tall tower called “The Icon” which is nearly as towering as Big Ben at 316feet.

With crisscrossing tubes and slides, the enormous structure is boasted to contain the world’s tallest waterslide.

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The tower contains 12 rides with two on each of the tower’s six levels – and park goers will need to use elevators to get to the top.

It is being developed by Canadian based slide company WhiteWater West.

“In addition to breaking a world record for the tallest water slide, the Icon Tower will also feature the most water slides on a single tower,” the firm said.

Pictures show the Icon Tower on another small man-made island away from the main body of the water park.


Qatari news outlets boasted the island complex would welcome up to 50,000 visitors daily during the World Cup.

The complex is only 3 miles away from the Lusail Stadium and was being advertised as a “must go” for footie fans.

Meryal Waterpark – which has a total of 36 rides – was boasted to open its doors to visitors during November and December.

But it appears to remain under construction despite the arrival of fans for World Cup.

Workers will now be rushing to try to complete the facility in time – with the final now just weeks away on December 18.

Meryal Waterpark’s official social media pages still lists the site as “coming soon”.

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Pictures and videos shared online in the last week show The Icon Tower remains surrounded by scaffolding and cranes.

Other images show workmen still on site – and huge areas of the park still needing completion.

It is unclear if the megastructure and the surrounding theme park will be welcoming the one million fans in Qatar for the World Cup.

Lusail city is the second largest city in the Gulf State with a population of around 200,000 people.

It has seen more than £40billion plowed in to transform the coastal city as part of Qatar National Vision 2030.

The project has seen the 14-square mile patch of land converted into what the Qataris hope will be a paradise on the Gulf.

TikTok/@fiqatarVideo shows the site well underway, but construction appears to have stalled[/caption]

TikTok/@fiqatarThe towering structure is almost as big as Big Ben[/caption]

TikTok/@fiqatarWorld Cup fans might not get the chance to ride the slides[/caption]

TikTok/@fiqatarThe park – when open – will have 36 rides[/caption]

TikTok/@fiqatarLusail has had £40billion spent on it[/caption]

The city hosted its first game of the World Cup today as Argentina were stunned 2-1 by Saudi Arabia.

And the massive new stadium will also host the final.

But behind all the glitzy buildings and high-tech systems however there are fears the city – like many infrastructure projects in Qatar – harbours a dark secret.

It is feared such rapid developments have been built on the suffering of thousands of migrant workers – something Qatar denies.

Human rights groups estimate more than 6,500 workers have died in Qatar since they won the right to stage the World Cup.

Qatar has a two million strong migrant workforce – with many of them said to work for low pay in sweltering conditions.

Doha denies mistreatment of migrant workers and says it is proactively working to improve standards.

Once completed, it is hoped Lusail will have a theme park, a lagoon, two marinas, two golf courses, 22 hotels along with luxury shopping and commercial districts.

Sprawling around the the West Bay Lagoon, the city is 14 miles north of Doha and is hoped to one day have infrastructure to support 450,000 people.

Incredible earthworks have seen four man made islands spring up the city which was essentially built from scratch.

The Lusail Iconic Stadium has capacity for 80,000 people.

And the city hosted Qatar’s first Formula 1 race last year when Lewis Hamilton won the 2021 Qatar Grand Prix.

But one of the most recognisable parts of the city is the crescent moon hotel complex, the Katara Towers.

It is 692ft tall with 40 floors – housing two luxury hotels along with apartments, offices and shops.

Qatar has already faced questions over organisation of the World Cup – with reports weeks before the start that the nation simply was not ready.

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Confusion over the sale of beer, infrastructure problems and reports of crowd trouble at the fanzone have already surfaced.

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The tiny country is expected to welcome more than one million fans during the tournament – when the country only has a population of 2.9million.

Billions have been spent to try and ready the nation for its first attempt at holding an event of this scale.

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