Escape room: The Pharaoh’s Tomb
An Ancient Egypt escape room for teens and adults: decode hieroglyphs, solve a number pyramid and find which coffin hides the treasure.
The story
You are a team of archaeologists entering a forgotten pharaoh’s tomb. The door creaks shut behind you, and riddles are carved on the walls. Solve them to find the treasure and the way out.
They say this pharaoh loved riddles more than gold.
5 story stations · online you can pick a level that adds more locks.
Run it at home or in class
What to prepare
- Printed station sheets
- A hieroglyph key card
- Three boxes numbered 1, 2, 3 (the coffins)
- A 3-digit code lock
- Chocolate gold coins as treasure
Tips for the facilitator
- Print the symbols large on brown paper so they look like ancient stone.
- Build the number pyramid from upside-down paper cups with numbers on them.
- Use three shoeboxes as coffins, and put the treasure only in coffin 2.
Difficulty level for “The Pharaoh’s Tomb”
The story clues stay the same on every level; harder levels add more locks in between. You can ask for a hint at every stage.
🏺 The Pharaoh’s Tomb
You are a team of archaeologists entering a forgotten pharaoh’s tomb. The door creaks shut behind you, and riddles are carved on the walls. Solve them to find the treasure and the way out.
0 of 6 stages solved
Stage 1: Writing on the wall
1/6Four symbols are carved on the wall: 👁️🌾🐞🦅. Luckily, you found a key underneath: 🐍 = S, 🦅 = E, 👁️ = N, 🌾 = I, 🐞 = L.
Facilitator guide: 🏺 The Pharaoh’s Tomb
What the room practises
Symbol substitution, a number pyramid, truth-telling logic and Egyptian numerals.
The 5 stations (without the answers)
- Writing on the wall: Which word is written on the wall?
- The stone pyramid: Which number is missing in the bottom row?
- The three coffins: Which coffin holds the treasure? (Write a number.)
- Egyptian numbers: Which number is written on the altar?
- The exit door: What is the code?
Preparing and printing
On the easy level the printed kit has 7 pages: a facilitator sheet with the opening story, the setup list and every answer, plus an A4 card for each of the 6 stages. Besides printing, get ready: a hieroglyph key card and chocolate gold coins as treasure.
Most important: Print the symbols large on brown paper so they look like ancient stone.
Age and group size
Best with teams of 4–6 players. With more people, split into two teams racing the clock, each with its own kit.
Giving hints in this room
Online the hints open one at a time; in the printed kit they sit in the facilitator table next to each answer. Give the first hint after a couple of minutes of silence, not at the first wrong guess.
Frequently asked questions
What age is “The Pharaoh’s Tomb” for, and how long does it take?
It was written for teens 13+ and adults, at medium difficulty, and usually takes 30–40 minutes. It has 5 story stations, and online you can choose between three difficulty levels that add more locks.
What do I need to run “The Pharaoh’s Tomb”?
A printer and these props: Printed station sheets; A hieroglyph key card; Three boxes numbered 1, 2, 3 (the coffins); A 3-digit code lock; Chocolate gold coins as treasure. The printable kit includes a facilitator sheet with every answer and a card for each stage.
What if the players get stuck?
Every stage has graded hints. Online they open one at a time; in the printed kit they sit next to each answer on the facilitator sheet. The first hint never gives the answer away.
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