Shafaq News/ As you pass the first checkpoint atthe entrance to Kirkuk, heading towards Al-Alam and Tikrit, the ruins of formerIraqi President Saddam Hussein’s palaces come into view. These scenes ofdestruction and rubble stand as a stark reminder of the millions of dollarsspent on these palaces during the economic sanctions era, a time when themajority of Iraqis struggled to secure necessities like bread.
Ruins of Saddam’s Palaces
More than 30 palaces remain standing despiteover two decades passing since the fall of Saddam Hussein’s brutal regime.Located along the banks of the Tigris River, the presidential complex in Tikrithoused these palaces, many of which have now been reduced to ruins due to theUS-Iraq war in 2003 and subsequent events. American aircraft bombed the areadaily during the conflict, turning a significant portion of these structuresinto rubble. Those palaces that escaped bombings were later looted in the chaosthat followed the entry of US forces.
Hussein Al-Tikriti, a former worker involved inthe construction of these palaces, told Shafaq News, “The palaces that remainin central Tikrit were designed to be unique in terms of their architecture andmaterials, most of which were imported from Europe, even as ordinary Iraqisfaced dire hardships.”
“The materials used were of the highest qualityand imported from abroad.”
Construction of the palaces began in the late1980s and continued into the 1990s, with most completed by 1994. Work on thesesites was continuous and overseen by the Presidential Diwan, Al-Tikritiexplained. He spent over eight years working on these palaces, divided intosouthern and northern sections.
Over 10,000 workers across Iraq were employed,securing a jobs requiring connections with the Special Security Service.
“Saddam Hussein would visit these sitesannually, particularly on Thursdays and Fridays,” Al-Tikriti added. “Today,these palaces lie in ruins, despite the billions spent on them.”
Saddam Between the Palace and the Grave
Not far from the presidential palaces, about akilometer away in Al-Awja, lies a small palace with a large dome that onceserved as the burial site for Saddam Hussein. After ISIS took control of thearea, the grave was bombed by coalition aircraft. Eyewitnesses reported thatISIS and unknown groups attempted to exhume Saddam Hussein’s body.
Hussein Al-Baldawi, a resident of Tikrit livingnear what is now known as the ISIS Cemetery, told Shafaq News, “Saddam Husseinwas buried here, and when ISIS took control of Tikrit, his grave was bombed.ISIS tried to exhume the body, but relatives from his tribe intervened andmoved the remains to another location outside Tikrit.”
Al-Baldawi added that Saddam Hussein’s grave hadremained untouched for years. He was buried in his hometown of Al-Awja inSaladin governorate after US forces handed over his body to three individuals,including Sheikh Ali Al-Nada of the Al-Bu Nasir tribe, to which Saddambelonged. The town’s entrances were sealed off until the completion of prayersand the burial in the Grand Hall, the exact location where his sons Uday andQusay and grandson Mustafa were buried after being killed in Mosul by US forcesin 2003.
Speicher Memorial
A small building overlooking the Tigris River,once part of the presidential palaces, has now been converted into a PopularMobilization Forces (PMF) headquarters. This site has become a memorial,marking one of the most horrific crimes in modern Iraqi history, where at least1,700 cadets were executed in June 2014 after being abducted from the nearbyCamp Speicher.
Activist Saadoun Al-Jubouri told Shafaq News,“Some of Saddam’s palaces have been repurposed into sites commemorating theso-called ‘Crime of the Century,’ where ISIS terrorists brutally murdered 1,700young men. Anyone passing by this place can almost feel the presence of theseyoung souls as if they serve as a living testament to the atrocity committedagainst Iraqi youth. These young men knew nothing but war and sanctions, livingunder the constant threat of violence since the Ba’ath Party took power.”
“These palaces stand as a lasting reminder ofSaddam Hussein’s tyranny,” Al-Jubouri continued. “While the Iraqi peoplesuffered from hunger and poverty, Saddam was building his palaces with thenation’s wealth. These sites could be transformed into historical landmarks,serving as reminders of the oppression and crimes committed by this man againstall the people of Iraq.”