Edinburg might be the capital of Scotland but it’s a freak city. Yes its true that the city has an amazing number of heritage buildings and a landscape to match its history but the city is quite in contrast to the nearby city of Fife in Scotland. The Edinburgh Dungeon is run by the same entertainment company that also runs the New York and the London Dungeons. It takes you through the gory detailing of the Scottish history for a thousand years.The crime and punishment meted out to the offenders tells you of the barbaric torture that they had to go through. All hell breaks loose here. Yes that’s what this journey is all about ! About hell breaking loose. But knowing humans and their knack fro the uncanny and the dangerous this Dungeon will always top the list in the tourist attraction itinerary.
Art exhibits here are a must see. There are also period costumed actors who give semblance to the facts of history. It is done quite convincingly. The sound and light technology is superb and as you move through the road marked as “yesteryear” the tunnel unfolds some grisly sights. Some episodes are highlighted, others underplayed. The lives of the natives of Scotland were a harsh one more so because of the extreme rough weathers.This was before the onset of the Industrial Revolution. The Anatomy theatre section demonstrates the unhygienic workshop environment which could make even the strongest week. Modern sanity that we take for granted , was a far cry in those days. The workshop of the medical practitioners used to laced with blood and hardly any of the medical insruments for surgery was available then. What was done to operate was sheer torture on the human soul. The Clan war section are quite well brought out by period actors who enact the bloody warfare waged amongst the Scottish tribes.The weapons used by the period actors are exact details of the types of war instruments used in those days.
There is off course the eerie catacomb of the Haunted Labyrinth section. This haunted crypt runs underground. It really gives you a feel of unease and uncanny horror as you make your way through the dungeon. The Judgement of Sinners shows the torture meted out to the sinners. The torture instruments are quite an imitation of the actual era.The sinners might have committed petty crimes but in those days anything against religious orthodoxy was considered heresy. Another sction features the almost unbelievable case of human cannibalism in the modern world of civilization. Sawney Bean and his predator family devoured a thousand people picked up from villages nearby. Sawney and his family including the youngest of the children in the family was arrested. Cannibalism is a disease and you never know when it might surface again if left unnoticed.
The whole object of the Edinburgh Dungeon is a mix of fact and figures, educating and at the same time entertaining. A recent addition is the Mary Kings Ghost. The era goes back to 1646 when the whole city was suffering at the onslaught of plague. The Plague scene is revolting to say the least. The stench of death was in the air. Even those unaffected by Plague got sick by breathing the air. The bodies were not buried or there were no rituals or last rites to be performed. Instead one body was heaped on top of the other till a high wall was made of it.
You must have watched Braveheart where Mel Gibson put an oscar winning performance of Sir William Wallace, the legendary Scottish hero who fought against the English to win the freedom of Scotland. Meet this brave gentleman right here in the Edinburgh Dungeon. Know how he was betrayed by his own, and taken to treason and tortured till he gave in and died. Also feel the dive and passion as he won against the English in the Battle of Stirling Bridge.
