Ben turns the frozen donkey wheel

This is the big one. This is Ben venturing through the hole he blew in the vault, through a tunnel, through a sheet of ice and into an icy room to turn the "frozen donkey wheel" to move the island. During his journey, Ben goes down a ladder which is being referred to as "Jacob's ladder" by some. As he's climbing down another ladder into the icy room, Ben falls, incurring an injury on his arm. This is the same injury he has when he arrives in the Sahara in "The Shape of Things To Come." In the frozen room, their is a stone pillar with hieroglyphics on it, similar to those on the smoke monster door.

As Ben approaches the wheel, he looks up and says "I hope you're happy now Jacob." He then uses a crowbar to chip away the ice around the wheel and then uses it for leverage to start turning the wheel. As the wheel starts turning, Ben starts to weep. He's sacrificing living on the island to save the island. As the wheel turns an area behind the wheel starts glowing until the room looks white. On the island, the sky gets incredibly bright (that'll be in the next post).

What exactly happens to Ben after he turns the wheel? We know he ends up in the Sahara, but how exactly? Where did the wheel room come from? Who created it and the hieroglyphics? How was the power of this location on the island harnessed to use in the Orchid station? So many questions, such a long hiatus.