In Iraq, reinventing the monumental ruined palaces of Saddam Hussein

Overthrown in 2003 by the American invasion, Saddam Hussein built palaces and public monuments with all his might, cheerfully defying the Western embargo of the 1990s.

In the four corners of Iraq, more than a hundred villas, residences and presidential complexes of all sizes display without complex its megalomania and delusions of grandeur. More often than not, Saddam only went there once or twice.

Like a Mesopotamian emperor, his profile engraved on the bas-reliefs, sometimes alongside King Nebuchadnezzar II, is still visible in one of these palaces, in Babylon (center).

"We could transform these palaces into museums, at least in Baghdad: a museum of tapestry for example, on the royal family or Islamic art", advances the director of the Iraqi Council of Antiquities and Heritage, Laith Majid Hussein.

But he admits that the rehabilitation of certain "gigantic castles" would require "astronomical sums".

After 2003, these sites were looted, damaged during the successive conflicts that tore Iraq apart or served as military bases for foreign forces.

Today, rehabilitated palaces remain the exception. The others are falling into disrepair or have been taken over by armed factions.

"Bureaucracy and corruption are hampering the restoration of these palaces to make them tourist resorts or heritage centers," said a senior government official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

"Symbol of dictatorship"

In Baghdad, three palaces built by Saddam Hussein accommodate the presidency and the offices of the Prime Minister.

After having served as an American base for a while, the sumptuous Al-Faw complex has been hosting a very chic "American University" since 2021 on the lush banks of an artificial lake, with amphitheatres and even a "food court" in buildings in stone and marble.

The director of the university, Michael Mulnix, does not hide his pride. While the main palace was relatively preserved, "every other building was damaged. Windows were broken, birds were flying inside, there were snakes. It was a mess."

He points to the initials of the former strong man in Arabic calligraphy on the ceiling.

"We wondered what to do with them, erase them or cover them up," he said, praising the decision to preserve them in this "dictator's palace (...) transformed into an institution of higher education. for all Iraqis".

In Basra (south), three palaces remain. Two are used by the Hachd al-Chaabi, the pro-Iran paramilitaries integrated into the regular forces.

As for the third, it has been a prestigious museum of antiquities since 2016.

“We have succeeded in transforming this symbol of dictatorship into a symbol of culture,” boasts Qahtan al-Obeid, head of Antiquities in Basra.

"Recreation Center"

To date, Basra is "the only province to have transformed a palace into a heritage building", he said, estimating that the country would have 166 residences, villas and other complexes built by the dictator.

"The successive governments (since 2003, Editor's note) have not built anything and have not been able to match what Saddam has erected", bitterly loose - and on condition of anonymity - an architect of the old regime.

Laith Majid Hussein, however, assures that in the central province of Babylon, the authorities will transform into a museum a palace overlooking the ruins listed as World Heritage by Unesco.

Perched on an artificial hill, the imposing ocher castle with gaping openings is already a local attraction.

In the abandoned state rooms where rickety chandeliers hang, the walls are covered in graffiti.

The outbuildings have been transformed into a hotel complex. "When we came in 2007 for the first time, the site was in a deplorable state. The local authorities decided to make it a recreational center for the inhabitants", assures the director of the complex, Abdel Satar Naji.

It is perhaps in Tikrit, Saddam's birthplace, that the observation is most striking.

On the banks of the Tigris, about thirty villas and residences are in ruins. A pontoon and an adjacent building have become a place of commemoration of the "Speicher" massacre, named after a former American military base.

In June 2014, jihadists from the Islamic State group executed hundreds of young recruits there. According to estimates, this massacre would have caused up to 1.700 deaths.