Fata Morgana, the forbidden city, also known as 1001 Arabian Nights (or "1001 nachten" in Dutch

Dutch language

Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...

) is a dark ride in amusement park

Amusement park

thumb|Cinderella Castle in [[Magic Kingdom]], [[Disney World]]Amusement and theme parks are terms for a group of entertainment attractions and rides and other events in a location for the enjoyment of large numbers of people...

 Efteling

Efteling

Efteling is the largest theme park in the Netherlands, and as it opened in 1952, it is one of the oldest theme parks in the world. Efteling is located in the town of Kaatsheuvel, in the municipality of Loon op Zand, and has received over 100 million visitors....

 in the Netherlands. It was designed by Ton van de Ven

Ton van de Ven

Ton van de Ven is a Dutch industrial designer. He is best known as the creative director at the Efteling theme park.Van de Ven was born in Eindhoven, Netherlands, where he also studied at the Design Academy.- Work at Efteling :...

 and Jan Verhoeven and opened in 1986.

16- passenger boats pass through a fairy-tale style Arabian city that is populated by 140 animatronics

Animatronics

Animatronics is the use of mechatronics to create machines which seem animate rather than robotic. Animatronic creations include animals , plants and even mythical creatures...

. Only one transport boat is present in a scene at the same time.
The ride begins in a twilight setting, showing a jungle and the skyline of a distant Arabian city. Upon entering the city, in the poor quarter, beggars and merchants call for attention. The next scene shows a prison and torture room, followed by a palace and a harbor with ships . Passing by a harem

Harem

Harem refers to the sphere of women in what is usually a polygynous household and their enclosed quarters which are forbidden to men...

 the real ride ends in the throne room of the pasha

Pasha

Pasha or pascha, formerly bashaw, was a high rank in the Ottoman Empire political system, typically granted to governors, generals and dignitaries. As an honorary title, Pasha, in one of its various ranks, is equivalent to the British title of Lord, and was also one of the highest titles in...

.
Total ride time is 8 minutes, capacity of 1800 persons/ hour.

Scenes:

• Prelude: jungle & wizard
• Poor quarter
• First market scene
• Second market scene
• Dark tunnel with crocodiles
• Scene at the falling gate
• Prison scene
• Torture scene and wizard
• Harbor scene
• Harem scene
• Throne room scene
• Treasure room scene and wizard
• Storm scene
• Epilogue: jungle

History and details

The attraction is considered to be the link between the old fairy- tale style of Anton Pieck

Anton Pieck

Anton Franciscus Pieck , a Dutch painter, artist and graphic artist...

 and the newer, more intensive rides.

The opening was planned for 1984, but in order to give more time for the designing team it was postponed to 1986. The original name Fata Medina was changed to Fata Morgana to avoid confusion with the Islamic holy city, though it is more likely that it was a reference to the first completed part of the ride, the Medina quarter

Medina quarter

A medina quarter is a distinct city section found in many North African cities. The medina is typically walled, contains many narrow and maze-like streets...

- the poor district and central marketplace.

The decorative art was bought in the Marrocan city of Marrakech

Marrakech

Marrakech or Marrakesh , known as the "Ochre city", is the most important former imperial city in Morocco's history...

 and the animatronics

Animatronics

Animatronics is the use of mechatronics to create machines which seem animate rather than robotic. Animatronic creations include animals , plants and even mythical creatures...

 were dressed by Belgian designer Jeanine Lambrechts.

Underwater rotating disks regulate the transport system provided by the Swiss manafucturer Intamin.

Total cost, converted from Guilders: € 7 million

Music

The music for Fata Morgana was composed by composer Ruud Bos, who also wrote the musical themes for Dreamflight

Dreamflight

Dreamflight is a dark ride in Efteling amusement park in the Netherlands. It was designed by Ton van de Ven and opened in 1993.-History:...

, the Haunted House

Haunted attraction

A haunted attraction is a form of entertainment that simulates the experience of entering a haunted location that might be inhabited by ghosts, monsters, criminals, humorous characters, and other such creatures...

 and Villa Volta

Villa Volta

Villa Volta is an attraction in the amusement park Efteling in the Netherlands. It is a rare type of ride known as a Madhouse, which is a sort of haunted house, where the visitors get the illusion that either the building, the visitors themselves or both are turned upside down. It has been...

.

Naturally he chose a Harem

Harem

Harem refers to the sphere of women in what is usually a polygynous household and their enclosed quarters which are forbidden to men...

style as the base theme for the music.
More specifically, the beginning of the ride is linked by orchestral music to the dreamy, mideastern music with flutes and violins of the market, the first setting of the attraction. The music gets darker when the ride passes the prison part.
A slow melody sets in upon entering the harbor but is extended with instruments like violins, gongs and a percussion. The musical climax comes when the ride ends in the final scene of the throneroom.

There are five compositions:

• The Harem
• The Harbor
• The Market Place
• The Eastern Jails
• The Jungle

30 amplifiers and 150 loudspeakers generate a total of 8000 Watt.