Enormous entertainment complex planned for Qatar

Constuction for the massive development will begin early next year, said the consortium of firms behind the scheme, with the first retail phase scheduled for completion by early 2012.

It will house a huge shopping mall, an entertainment park and two hotels, with furniture chain IKEA, Toys "R" Us, InterSport and British brand Marks and Spencer confirmed as the first tenants.

When the AED 6bn (€1.26 billion) project is completed in 2015, it will be the largest multipurpose complex in the country and will feature a "futuristic design," to transport visitors from waterslides and roller coasters to the retail area.

One of the partners behind the project, Al Futtaim, has also created the Festival City parks in Dubai and Cairo, retail and leisure destinations dubbed "mini-cities."

The development will be the latest addition to a wave of construction in Qatar, with the first part of the $5.9 million (€4.8 million) Musheireb development in downtown Doha scheduled to be completed at around the same time.

Qatar's building spree is partly a reflection of its rapid economic growth and population boom - figures published earlier this year showed that the population had more than doubled since 2004.

http://www.futtaim.com