namik kemal dungeons

After its destruction in 1571, the Venetian Palace was used during the Ottoman period, as a prison. Among the prisoners was Namik Kemal, the Shakespeare of the Turkish literature, who was held there between 1873 and 1876, having been exiled to Cyprus after criticising the Sultan. Next to the Namik Kemal prison is a museum about him and his works. There is a bronze bust of the poet facing the square, by the Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque.