Arabian Flights

The legend of Flying Carpets is a longstanding cultural tradition across the Arab World. From Persia to Morocco, you can find references to its awe-inspiring flight, over desert dunes and shining stars to destinations far beyond.

Arabian Flights is a cantilevered coaster taking us on a magic carpet flight around the Mediterranean Sea. Beginning our journey in the Lost City of Zerzura, we head first to Egypt, then Mecca and so forth, looping around the Arab world and entering the Northern side to visit Greece, Rome, and Spain. Our ride concludes with a trip to the Future of Arabia, before returning back to Zerzura for an exciting finale.

Despite representing a voyage around the Arab World, Arabian Flights is as much of a coaster as it is a dark ride. For every city scale model there is a bend or drop, adding speed and excitement to your magic carpet flight.

The ride accomplishes this through its unique ride system, made in partnership with Vekoma Rides Manufacturing. Inspired by the Donkey Kong coaster design patented by Universal, Disney's Lost Kingdoms has innovated a successor model designed to evoke the feelings of flight without track or train. The train instead appears to be a stylized magic carpet suspended in mid-air.

A GRAND JOURNEY

Our journey begins with a short drop, providing enough speed for the coaster until the first lift hill. After an outdoor helix loop, the magic carpets enter a darkened cave, where our trip can properly begin. Mist blows, mimicking the passing of airborne clouds, and suddenly we find ourselves in the dunes of Egypt. Sand ruffles below as the Carpets head towards the famous Great Pyramids, miniaturized as a result of our great height. Looping around, the carpets begin up the first lift hill.

The clouds are increasing the further as the carpets ascend. Unaware of when the track drops, we are left in total suspense. Suddenly, the carpets dip downwards as the ride hits full speed (36 mph). We pass Mecca, the spiritual capital of Islam, and continue along the desert, now reaching the Lost City of Petra. Like how Peter Pan's Flight represents London from above through hand-crafted miniatures, every city is thoroughly represented. The ride's smart use of air time and lift hills allows us to get a full glimpse of each city without losing out on top speeds.

Our journey continues in Jerusalem, the most holy city for Jewish, Christian, and Muslim faiths. The skyline above pays witness to these amalgamation of these diverse beliefs: the Dome of the Rock, Wailing Wall, and Church of Holy Sepulchre all stand out. As we progress further through the city, the scaled models increase in size, simulating our descent closer to the surface. Jerusalem is among the largest of the scale models, rivaled by...

Istanbul, formerly known as Constantinople, the capitol of both Roman and Ottoman Empires, and the supposed bridge between Europe and Arabia. The Hagia Sophia dominates the skyline. Heading increasingly close to the surface, the carpets narrowly avoid an unpleasant collision with this magnificent Church-turned-Mosque-turned-Museum. Safe, we now take in the sights of the ancient yet still-thriving city.

Next on our visit is Santorini, an idyllic island town in Aegean Sea. Vibrant blue roofs contrast with stark-white walls. The rhythmic crashing of waves can be heard below.

Santorini leads naturally to Athens. Atop the Acropolis rests the famous Parthenon. Below is a thriving modern city, the capitol of modern Greece just as it was many years ago.

The carpets transition into the largest room, home to four separate cities. The first is Rome. The carpets descend further downwards, now weaving past Roman ruins and encircling the vast Colosseum at the ride's largest helix. The carpets then ascend slightly to reach Barcelona, home to colorful architecture seamlessly blending medieval and modern eras.

The carpets continue their subtle ascent, reaching the city of Granada in Southern Spain. Granada was the capital of Iberia during its Islamic years. We pass by the Alhambra, the Sultan's royal palace, enlightened by an approaching sunset, and then several other medieval buildings: some built by Muslims, others by Christians, all equally part of this historic city.

A small strait of water (the Strait of Gibraltar) passes below as the carpets head to the final stage of their loop, beginning their journey home. In Fes, Morocco, countless winding streets and marketplaces create a labyrinth of vendors and shoppers. This bustling ancient city comes to life as night ticks by, and the lights suddenly shine a-bright.

The room changes one final time. We have now entered a new city, between Morocco and Zerzura, that is yet to have a name. Inspired by the success of Dubai, new developments are rapidly arriving along the Arabian and North African coast, painting a transition from the ancient structures seen before to a new age of advancements and man-made wonders. Entire communities are built on the water. Massive skyscrapers, at scales hitherto undreamt of, stand by with pride. And yet through all this, at the bottom of this magnificent city one can just witness tiny ruins of an ancient civilization, possibly Egypt, or Carthage, or maybe even before them: still standing despite all the courses of time.

As we take in these sites, the magic carpet ascends once again aboard a second lift hill. After we have had more than enough time to fully appreciate what is perhaps the most visually inspiring our journey... the carpet plummets down a rocky ravine, marking our return to Zerzura.

Our journey must end where it began. As we near the drop, we can watch over the entirety of Zerzura. The carpets plunge towards a series of rocky outcroppings, weaving around the boulders as it returns to the same top speeds reached before. As we quickly move along the desert, we can catch glimpse of carvings among the sand, in the various styles: each one represents one of the cities we have visited, but as we are moving so fast, this is a blink or miss moment. Finally, after much turning and jumping, the carpets start to settle down, marking the end of our magic flight. The flying carpets return to the station, ready to embark on their magic flight once more.