As the name suggests, this is where noted 19th Turkish playwright, poet and founding member of the Young Ottomans, Namik Kemal was imprisoned from 1873-1876 after his artistic works (and political leanings) ran afoul of Sultan Abdulaziz. That said, the term ‘dungeon’ is a bit of a misnomer, if not exaggerated embellishment, as the location in question is not actually underground, nor does it otherwise much resemble your typical dungeon. In fact, it was actually part of a Venetian palazzo prior to being converted to a prison.

In any case, it's not somewhere we'd want to spend more than a night or two, let alone three long years, as the ‘Shakespeare of Turkish literature’ did, prior to being pardoned by Sultan Murad V and triumphantly returning to Istanbul. There's also not a whole lot to see here nowadays, so here's hoping that our colourful description here has piqued your interest enough to pop in and take a peek for yourself.