Mahdia Medina — The Fatimid Cipher
Decipher a hidden Fatimid conspiracy buried in Mahdia's ancient medina. Uncover coded messages left by a caliph's inner circle before their secrets sink into oblivion.
📱 1 to 10 phones · 1 team per phone · Independent codes
In the 10th century, Mahdia was the jewel of the Fatimid caliphate—a fortress city where power, trade, and intrigue converged
Mahdia Medina — The Fatimid Cipher
You are a clandestine investigator, summoned to 10th-century Mahdia by whispers of a dangerous truth.
In its prime, Mahdia was the jewel of the Fatimid caliphate—a
Mahdia: Fatimid Capital, Mysterious Fleet, and Submerged Treasure
« Il [al-Mahdi] choisit Mahdia en raison de sa situation insulaire sur la mer, afin d'y être en sécurité contre ses ennemis. »— Ibn al-Athir, historien arabe (XIIe siècle)
Mahdia, Pearl of the Fatimids and Fortress of the Seas
Founded in 921 by Ubayd Allah al-Mahdi, the first caliph of the Fatimid dynasty, Mahdia was more than just a capital: it was the symbol of their power and ambition. Chosen for its naturally defensive peninsula, it was designed as an impregnable fortress, complete with massive walls, a secret harbor, and a monumental great mosque. From this island-city, the Fatimids challenged the Byzantines and Abbasids, extending their influence across the Mediterranean and laying the foundations of a colossal maritime empire.
Mahdia's strategic position made it a major naval center. The formidable and innovative Fatimid fleet sailed the Mediterranean, protecting trade routes and undertaking daring expeditions. Legends tell that the caliphs hid treasures, secret navigation plans, or fragments of a sunken fleet, guardians of their wealth, within its confines. These mysteries, buried beneath the waves and deep within the stones, still await revelation by those who dare to unravel the secrets of the Fatimid Pearl.
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.
The game downloads to your phone on start. Once the "✓ Downloaded" indicator appears, everything works without data — narration, AR, GPS and puzzles. Perfect abroad without a data plan.
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?
Decipher the fragments of a secret sea chart, bequeathed by a Fatimid admiral.
Explore Mahdia, the impregnable city of the caliphs, built to defy empires.
Dive into the history of the Fatimid fleet and its sunken treasures off Mahdia.
Dare you defy the waves to unravel Mahdia's secret?
The Fatimid treasure awaits discovery.
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 an app or a paper guide?
Neither. Everything plays in your browser (Safari, Chrome) after you tap your activation link. No PDF to print, no download. The trail lives in your phone, that's it.
Q02Can we split Mahdia Medina — The Fatimid Cipher across two days?
Yes — your code stays active and progress is saved. You can start Saturday afternoon, finish Sunday morning. Some players actually prefer this format to make the most of a full weekend on site.
Q03Is Mahdia Medina — The Fatimid Cipher suitable for a challenge-seeking teen?
Absolutely. The puzzles aren't obvious — a curious teen will sweat just enough to be proud of cracking them. Progressive hints prevent frustration: if stuck, unlock hint level 1, then 2, then 3.
Q04Do we need 4G data to play?
Intermittent 4G is plenty. Maps are cached at startup. Narration and clues load per stop, so a so-so signal between stops is fine. GPS itself uses no data.
Avis des aventuriers
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Your turn to play
Untangle the threads of history and reveal the sunken treasure of the caliph builders.
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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