Van Fortress — Forgotten Kings of Urartu
Uncover the conspiracy that doomed Urartu's forgotten kings. Decode inscriptions and follow clues from Tushpa's ruins to expose the betrayal that erased their legacy forever.
📱 1 to 10 phones · 1 team per phone · Independent codes
In the 9th century BCE, Tushpa—ancient capital of Urartu on Van's eastern shore—rose as a fortress kingdom rivaling Assyria
Van Fortress — Forgotten Kings of Urartu
You are a royal Urartian scribe on an inspection mission in Tushpa, the forgotten capital of the Kingdom of Urartu in the 8th century BC.
You arrive in Van,
Follow in the footsteps of the Urartian kings, builders of the ancient world's largest fortress on the shores of Lake Van.
The story that haunts this land
Van Kalesi immediately reveals the power of the Kingdom of Urartu: this massive fortress built between the 9th and 7th centuries BC by Sarduri I and his heirs remains the largest of its kind in the world. Tushpa, the Urartian capital for 250 years, extended across this rock dominating the eastern shores of Lake Van with its 50,000 inhabitants. You discover the Sardurburç, Tower of Sardur considered the oldest building in the citadel, then the royal chambers carved into the bedrock according to Urartian construction techniques. The walls, foundations and open-air sanctuaries testify to the sophistication of this first millennium BC state structure.
The royal necropolis of Van, architectural jewel of Tushpa, immerses you in the funeral rites of Urartian sovereigns. Spectacularly carved into the mountain on which the ancient city rested, it contains funeral chambers excavated in rock according to Urartian methods. These royal tombs testify to the sophistication of the first millennium BC state structure and reveal how the kings of Urartu conceived their passage to eternity. The engraved royal annals and inscribed steles you discover there recount three centuries of domination over Eastern Anatolia.
The Şamran canal reveals the exceptional hydraulic engineering skills of Sarduri I's heirs, great hydraulic engineers responsible for transforming the Urartian landscape. This Urartian system illustrates the developed infrastructure of the first millennium BC state, capable of managing irrigation over considerable distances. The Ayanis fortress, built in the 9th century BC, completes your understanding of Urartian defensive strategy with its temple vestiges and administrative structures that testify to the kingdom's territorial organization.
The Van Museum preserves recently discovered artifacts and cuneiform inscriptions from the Kingdom of Urartu, notably those dating from the reign of King Minua (810-786 BC). Its collection of steles, royal objects and architectural elements from Tushpa reveals the material wealth of this civilization. The Holy Cross Church of Akdamar, built in the 10th century on an island in Lake Van, represents successive layers of religious occupation after Urartu's fall. It illustrates the continuity of the site's spiritual importance through successive dominations by Medes, Achaemenids, Armenians, Parthians, Romans, Sassanids, Byzantines, Arabs, Seljuks, Safavids, Afsharids, Ottomans and Russians.
From the shores of Lake Van, modern Turkey's largest lake, you measure the geographical scope of the Kingdom of Urartu which extended into present-day Armenia, Turkey and Iran. The massive ruins perched on this rock dominating the ancient city of Van, with their mysterious inscriptions explained by 5th-century Armenian historian Moses of Khorene as the work of legendary Assyrian queen Semiramis, leave you with awareness of having traversed one of the Iron Age's most powerful capitals. You depart with intimate understanding of a civilization that shaped Eastern Anatolia for three centuries.
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
5-10 curated sites across the territory
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 · 14,90€No calendar booking. Code sent immediately by email.
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Practical info
Why this route?
Living Archaeology
Decipher authentic 2800-year-old Urartian cuneiform inscriptions
Ancient Rivalry
Relive the epic confrontation between Urartu and the Assyrian Empire
Armenian Heritage
Explore the connections between ancient Urartu and Armenian culture
Awaken the echo of forgotten kings
In Van's carved stones still resonates the glory of Urartu
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
Q01Is Van Fortress — Forgotten Kings of Urartu similar to a treasure hunt?
Same spirit: search, deduce, find. But here the "treasure" is a full story to piece together in eight stops. Each stop gives you a fragment of the final code. Eight fragments later, you've cracked it.
Q02Can we split Van Fortress — Forgotten Kings of Urartu 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 Van Fortress — Forgotten Kings of Urartu 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.
Q04What if we get stuck on a puzzle?
Three hint levels per puzzle, with a small increasing time penalty. If truly stuck after level 3, you can skip the step (45-min penalty). The point: nobody stays blocked and goes home frustrated.
Avis des aventuriers
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Your turn to play
Follow in the footsteps of the Urartian kings, builders of the ancient world's largest fortress on the shores of Lake Van.
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
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