The Al Faw Palace (also known as the ''Water Palace'') is located in

Baghdad Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon. I ...

approximately 5 km (3.1 mi) from the

Baghdad International Airport Baghdad International Airport , previously Saddam International Airport ( ar, مطار بغداد الدولي, Maṭār Baġdād ad-Dawaliyy) is Iraq's largest international airport, located in a suburb about west of downtown Baghdad in the ...

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...

Saddam Hussein Saddam Hussein ( ; ar, صدام حسين, Ṣaddām Ḥusayn; 28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was an Iraqi politician who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003. A leading member of the revolutio ...

commissioned its construction in the 1990s to commemorate the Iraqi forces' re-taking of the Al-Faw Peninsula during the Iran-Iraq conflict.

Overview

Al Faw Palace is situated on a former resort complex about 5 kilometers from the ''

Green Zone The Green Zone ( ar, المنطقة الخضراء, translit=al-minṭaqah al-ḫaḍrā) is the most common name for the International Zone of Baghdad. It was a area in the Karkh district of central Baghdad, Iraq, that was the governmental ...

,'' which is now referred to as the ''International Zone'' or ''IZ.'' The complex contains numerous villas and smaller palaces and is now one of the largest US/Coalition bases in Iraq (

Camp Victory Camp Victory was the primary component of the Victory Base Complex (VBC) which occupied the area surrounding the Baghdad International Airport (BIAP). The Al-Faw Palace, which served as the headquarters for the Multi-National Corps – Iraq (and la ...

Camp Liberty Camp Liberty is a former United States military installation in Baghdad, Iraq. The installation was used from 2012 to September 2016 to house members of the People's Mujahedin of Iran (PMOI, also called MEK), who had been forcibly evicted from ...

). The palace contains over 62 rooms and 29 bathrooms.Williams, Brian.
Saddam's Al Faw Palace Not At All What It Seems
" ''NBC Nightly News,'' 8 May 2007. Many of the rooms were converted to serve as offices, and after 2004 the Palace was used as the headquarters for the

Multi-National Force - Iraq Multinational may refer to: * Multinational corporation, a corporate organization operating in multiple countries * Multinational force, a military body from multiple countries * Multinational state, a sovereign state that comprises two or more na ...

(MNF-I), along with the Joint Operations Center (JOC), which served for years as 'Mission Control' for the

Multi-National Corps - Iraq Multinational may refer to: * Multinational corporation, a corporate organization operating in multiple countries * Multinational force, a military body from multiple countries * Multinational state, a sovereign state that comprises two or more na ...

(MNC-I) and all operational aspects of Operation Iraqi Freedom. There is an artificial lake surrounding the palace that has a special breed of large bass dubbed the Saddam bass, as well as large carp. Saddam formerly used the palace for duck-hunting expeditions.Hutchinson, Kristin
Members of B Company, 3rd Battalion, 144th Infantry Regiment, Pose Before Al-Faw Palace
." ''The Dispatch,'' February 2007 (page 18). Because of the very light damage to the Al Faw Palace and other structures located on what was

, it is widely presumed that the planners of the 2003 invasion intended that this area would be used as a headquarters and main base area following the capture and occupation of Baghdad. The palace is surrounded by high walls with preconstructed security towers, which contributes to more readily maintaining surveillance and security for the former resort. In 2009, comedian

Stephen Colbert Stephen Tyrone Colbert ( ; born May 13, 1964) is an American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. He is best known for hosting the satirical Comedy Central program '' The Colbert Report'' from 2005 ...

hosted a week of ''

The Colbert Report ''The Colbert Report'' ( ) is an American late-night talk and news satire television program hosted by Stephen Colbert that aired four days a week on Comedy Central from October 17, 2005, to December 18, 2014, for 1,447 episodes. The show fo ...

'' from the palace in partnership with

United Service Organizations The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) is an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed F ...

Notes

External links

*Pike, John.
Abu Ghurayb Presidential Site
" Global Security, 2000-2008

June 2009
The Fish at Al-Faw Palace
website created 2009 {{DEFAULTSORT:Faw Buildings and structures in Baghdad Saddam Hussein Palaces in Iraq

Overview

See also

Notes

External links