Work begins on $1.5 billion theme park in Jordan

Groundbreaking work has started on a US$1.5 billion theme park and resort in the southern Jordanian city of Aqaba.

Announcing the start of construction at this week's World Economic Forum on the Middle East and North Africa 2013, Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority High Commissioner Kamel Mahadin stated that the technology behind the attractions within the theme park would "catapult Jordan to the forefront for interactive experiences, including a global first for 4D inverted simulation.

"The entertainment resort will undeniably transform the Aqaba region and make it a high-end tourism hub for Jordan.

"It will do so while telling stories from our regional culture, integrating alternative energy sources and promoting the development of the entertainment industry in Jordan."

Masterminded by Rubicon Group Holdings, who have also expressed an interest in developing a similar resort in Western Australia, the theme park plans to use the latest 4D technology to simulate ancient worlds as well as rides enabling guests to train for skydiving, scuba diving and even piloting a submarine.

The Red Sea Astrarium will allow guests to go sightseeing at the thriving landscape of the Acropolis during its prime, view the Lighthouse of Alexandria before it crumbled into the sea and visit the abandoned Peruvian city of Machu Picchu as a bustling metropolis.

The development will also include four hotels and 16 entertainment developments including a Star Trek-themed attraction as well as a 4D cinema, a water park, shops and restaurants and the American Museum of Natural History's Silk Road Exhibition.