The Hierothesion Conspiracy — Decode Antiochus's Divine Secret
Decipher the hidden astronomical code carved into Antiochus I's colossal sanctuary. Uncover why a Hellenistic king merged Persian, Greek, and Oriental cosmologies into stone—and what truth his tomb still guards.
📱 1 to 10 phones · 1 team per phone · Independent codes
In 69 BCE, King Antiochus I of Commagène commissioned an audacious monument atop Mount Nemrut: a hierothesion—part temple, part tomb, part cosmic declaration
The Hierothesion Conspiracy — Decode Antiochus's Divine Secret
You are a royal astronomer in the court of Antiochus I Theos of Commagene, tasked with a secret mission on Mount Nemrut in 62 BC.
You arrive at the summit parking,
Climb to 2106 meters altitude following Antiochus I of Commagene's trail, who erected in the 1st century BC the most mysterious mausoleum of the Hellenistic East.
The story that haunts this land
Mount Nemrut raises its 50-meter-high gravel tumulus since the 1st century BC, when Antiochus I of Commagene ordered the construction of his hierothesion on this 2106-meter summit. Listed as UNESCO World Heritage in 1987, this Hellenistic archaeological site reveals the most ambitious funerary construction of the era, with its colossal statues discovered intact in 1881 by German geologists. You begin your journey with the monumental head of the god-king, fallen from its original 8-meter height.
The eastern terrace, the best preserved of the site's two terraces, reveals the perfect alignment of five Greco-Iranian divinities. Zeus-Oromasdes, Apollo-Mithra-Helios, Artemis-Anaitis and Heracles-Artagnes have stood guard for 2000 years, their 1.8-meter heads lying at the foot of their decapitated bodies. This orientation toward sunrise is not fortuitous: Antiochus had conceived his mausoleum as a giant astronomical calendar, where each statue marks a precise moment in the annual solar cycle.
The Lion horoscope, carved on a relief of the western terrace accessible in 5 minutes' walk, constitutes one of the oldest preserved sky maps in the world. The constellations draw the exact date of Antiochus's coronation, around 62 BC, according to modern astronomical calculations. From this terrace, 360° panoramic views embrace all of eastern Anatolia, allowing measurement of the strategic scope of this implantation choice at the heart of the Commagene kingdom.
The central tumulus, a 150-meter diameter cone of stones, still conceals Antiochus I's mausoleum, never excavated to this day despite archaeological attempts. Geophysicists detect cavities under this rocky mass, but terrain instability prohibits any excavation. This royal tomb remains one of the last unresolved mysteries of ancient archaeology, fueling all theories about the treasures and manuscripts that the philosopher-king would have taken into the afterlife.
Your investigation ends on the northern terrace, from where you embrace the entire site in its architectural coherence. Antiochus had orchestrated every detail of this hierothesion to defy eternity, mixing Greek, Persian and Anatolian traditions in unique religious syncretism. You leave Nemrut Dağı with the troubling certainty that this visionary king of Commagene had pierced cosmological secrets that our era is barely rediscovering, 30 to 40 minutes of trail hiking after decoding one of the greatest mysteries of the ancient East.
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?
Archaeoastronomy
Decipher an authentic ancient astronomical calendar carved in stone
High altitude
Explore an exceptional site at 2134 meters altitude
Colossal heads
Investigate among giant 8-meter heads decapitated by time
Elucidate the stellar calendar of the god-king
Between heaven and earth, pierce the mysteries of Antiochus
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.
Q02How many stops are in The Hierothesion Conspiracy — Decode Antiochus's Divine Secret?
Eight stops total. At each stop you find a camera clue, solve the puzzle, collect a fragment of the final code. With all eight, you've got the answer.
Q03Can we do The Hierothesion Conspiracy — Decode Antiochus's Divine Secret as a family with kids?
Yes, from age 6 with an adult reading puzzles aloud, and from age 12 on their own. Kids love the "find the camera clue" part — it's very visual, gets them genuinely involved.
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
Climb to 2106 meters altitude following Antiochus I of Commagene's trail, who erected in the 1st century BC the most mysterious mausoleum of the Hellenistic East.
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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