Assiut — Darb al-Arba'in Secret
Decipher the hidden code of the Darb al-Arba'in caravan route. Uncover the conspiracy that buried its ancient trade secrets along the Nile in Assiut, before they vanish forever.
📱 1 to 10 phones · 1 team per phone · Independent codes
For millennia, the Darb al-Arba'in—the Forty Days Road—snaked through scorching deserts from Darfur's heart to Assiut's Nile banks, ferrying gold, ivory, slaves, and spices in caravans of thousands
Assiut — Darb al-Arba'in Secret
You are an ambitious merchant, newly arrived in Assiut in 1800, seeking to make your fortune.
For millennia, the Darb al-Arba'in—the
Assiut – The Enigma of the Great Caravan Road
« « Quiconque souhaite voyager vers le Soudan doit passer par Assiout, car c'est la porte du désert et le chemin des caravanes. » »— Chronique de voyage anonyme, XVe siècle
Assiut: Crossroads of Ages and Deserts
Formerly known as Lycopolis, Assiut was a major city as early as the Old Kingdom of Egypt, serving as the capital of the 13th nome of Upper Egypt. Its importance was initially religious, housing the cult of Wepwawet, the 'Opener of the Ways,' god of war and desert paths. This symbolic role foreshadowed its destiny as a vital trade crossroads. It controlled access to the Kharga Oasis and served as a departure and arrival point for expeditions to the south.
It was during the Mamluk (13th-16th century) and Ottoman periods that Assiut's geographical position became strategic for trans-Saharan trade. The city was the Egyptian terminus of the famous Darb al-Arba'in, the 'Forty Days Road,' a caravan route connecting Sudan to the Nile. Massive convoys brought gold, ivory, spices, and other exotic products, making Assiut a center of wealth and intense cultural exchange, whose echoes still resonate in its streets and monuments.
A game, a guided tour and a heritage guide — all in one
You're not just buying an escape game. You're carrying a living guide — historical anecdotes, forgotten legends, key monuments, hidden architecture — unfolding as you go.
At each stop, places ordinary guides miss — secret façades, sculpted crests, alleys steeped in history.
Every riddle is rooted in a real historical fact or local legend. You leave with dozens of stories to tell.
Learn to read buildings — flamboyant Gothic, Baroque, Art Deco — like a real art historian, while having fun.
Walk through the city like a novel's character — every alley becomes a stage, every square a theatre.
A voice walks with you at every step, tells the story of each place, reads clues, adds a cinematic feel.
Keep access to the guide & game for 1 year. Come back any time, share it with friends.
« You will not leave this city the way you entered it. »
How does it work?
Explore the city on foot solving puzzles based on real historical facts. No locked room — the city is your playground.
No app to download. Play directly from your browser. Guided step by step, at your own pace.
One purchase per phone is enough. Play with family, friends or as a couple — everyone participates.
Point your phone at the façade: a historical character appears and speaks to you in your language. Golden letters magically write themselves on the wall to reveal the puzzle answer.
Stuck? Progressive personalised hints. The character repeats the puzzle on demand — at your own pace.
French, English, German, Spanish, Italian + 27 other languages auto-translated by AI.
Want to go deeper?
Places tied to your adventure — optional entries, totally up to you · per person
The Route
8 stages through the city
The gameplay: AR, camera, hidden clues
At each stop, open your phone camera: an augmented reality character appears on the façade and speaks your language. Hunt the clue — it materializes as golden letters on the real wall or floats in front of you. When you find it, the phone vibrates, an AR chest opens and reveals your answer fragment. 8 stops, 8 clues to find with the camera, 1 final code.
The stops on your route are a surprise. You'll discover them one by one, guided by your phone, starting from the meeting point.
How does it work with a group?
One phone = one team. Pick the number at checkout (1 to 10).
Solo, or a group sharing the screen. One team, one code.
Family, couple, or 2-3 teams competing. Each phone has its own code and its own score.
Friends, bachelor/bachelorette, small office outing — each their own code, each plays at their own pace. Tiered pricing then €6 flat per phone from the 6th.
- ✓All codes are independent — play at the same time OR separately, each team advances at its own pace.
- ✓Leaderboard between your teams + global game leaderboard — each score appears in the public ranking.
- ✓More than 10 phones or need a personalized quest? Discover custom tours.
Ready to live this adventure?
Get my code · 12€No calendar booking. Code sent immediately by email.
🔒 Secure payment · Code in 5 min · Free cancellation
Practical info
Why this route?
Caravan Tracks
Follow the forgotten tracks of desert merchants and explore key locations of their trade.
Ledger of Sands
Decipher an ancient accounting system and a symbolic mapping of trade routes.
Riches of the Nile
Discover the precious goods – gold, spices, ivory – that passed through Assiut.
The gold of Sudan, the spices of Arabia, the secrets of the Darb al-Arba'in.
The caravan road awaits you.
9 features nobody else has
OddballTrip combines gamified play, augmented reality and AI. All our competitors deliver 1 or 2 of these angles. We deliver all 5.
AR treasure chest
A golden chest floats in front of the monument. Tap → opening animation → reveals a secret message.
AR narrator character
Point your phone at the façade: a knight, witch, monk, sailor, detective or ghost appears full-screen and speaks to you in your language with their dedicated ElevenLabs voice (each character has their own unique voice) — your living guide.
Magic golden letters
At the puzzle climax, golden letters magically write themselves on the real wall — that's the puzzle answer. An unforgettable visual effect.
Written + audio narration
Every puzzle available as text AND voice-over: read at your own pace or listen eyes-free while walking. Great in groups and for accessibility.
360° radar + vibration
A mini-radar shows the target even behind you, and the phone vibrates when you aim in the right direction.
Heritage storytelling
Every puzzle weaves in real historical facts (architecture, era, anecdotes). You learn by playing — like a gamified audioguide.
Progressive AI hints
3 levels of AI-generated help: vibe → where to look → answer format. You're never stuck.
AR selfie memento
At the end of the game, capture a selfie with OddballTrip banner + mascot, shareable on Instagram, TikTok.
Zero app to install
PWA technology: open the link, it plays in your browser. Same quality as an app, no App Store hassle.
Frequently asked questions
Q01Do I need to download an app?
No, never. You get a link, you click, it plays in your browser. That's the point of a PWA: same as an app, without the hassle.
Q02Does it work offline?
GPS yes (handled by your phone). Maps yes (tiles cached). AI and hints need an intermittent 4G connection.
Q03How long does a game take?
1 h 30 to 2 h 30 depending on your pace. The timer runs but only for the leaderboard — you play at your own tempo.
Q04What happens if I'm stuck?
You get 3 levels of hints per puzzle (increasing penalty). If truly stuck, you can skip the step (45-min penalty but you keep going).
Q05What's the age range?
From 12 without an adult, from 6 with an adult reading puzzles. Works for families, couples, friend groups, companies.
Q06What if my city isn't in the catalogue?
Pre-register or contact us — we'll email you as soon as your city is live.
Q07What is augmented reality exactly?
Point your phone at the façade: a historical character appears full-screen and speaks to you in your language. At the puzzle climax, golden letters magically write themselves on the real wall — that's your answer. After each puzzle solved, a treasure chest floats in front of you. Seeing is believing.
Avis des aventuriers
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Your turn to play
Decipher the lost ledger of Assiut's caravan masters and secure the passage of the next expedition. Every step in the footsteps of ancient merchants brings you closer to the solution.
1 purchase = 1 phone. Play several on the same device.
No calendar booking. Code sent immediately by email.
🔒Secure payment · Code in 5 min · Free cancellation
🪙+24 TripCoins granted with your booking
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