Radwaniyah Palace (also known as ''Al Radwaniyah Presidential Complex'') is a palace in

Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

, which is the official residence of the

President of Iraq The President of the Republic of Iraq is the head of state of Iraq. Since the mid-2000s, the presidency is primarily a symbolic office, as the position does not possess significant power within the country according to the Constitution of Iraq, ...

and also functioned as a presidential resort for the late Iraqi president

Saddam Hussein Saddam Hussein (28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was an Iraqi politician and revolutionary who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 1979 until Saddam Hussein statue destruction, his overthrow in 2003 during the 2003 invasion of Ira ...

until it was taken over by

Coalition forces The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) was a multinational military mission in Afghanistan from 2001 to 2014. It was established by United Nations Security Council Resolution 1386 according to the Bonn Agreement, which outlined t ...

during the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq. The complex spans 18

square kilometres The square kilometre (square kilometer in American spelling; symbol: km2) is a multiple of the square metre, the SI unit of area or surface area. In the SI unit of area (m2), 1 km2 is equal to 1M(m2). 1 km2 is equal to: * 1,000,000 square ...

. Inside, it was decorated with marble, luxury furniture and monuments dedicated to Saddam. Located 20 kilometers from central Baghdad, near the

Baghdad International Airport Baghdad International Airport , previously Saddam International Airport from 1982 to 2003, () is Iraq's largest international airport, located in a suburb about west of downtown Baghdad in the Baghdad Governorate. It is the home base for Ira ...

in the west of the city, Radwaniyah Palace was the main presidential site for Saddam and was a typical Presidential site. It is bordered on the north by Qasr Tall Mihl and Al Urdun (Jordan) Street; on the south by sparse, outlying neighborhoods and on the east by suburbs Al 'Amiriyah and Hayy al-Furat. High walls surround the former resort; watchtowers contribute to more readily maintaining surveillance and security for the site. It also included a detention facility which according to

Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Headquartered in New York City, the group investigates and reports on issues including War crime, war crimes, crim ...

was able to accommodate up to five-thousand inmates. In addition to having two man-made hills and several man-made lakes, it houses two presidential palaces. The northern one usually goes by the more familiar name, Al Faw Palace. The southern one is known as the Victory over Iran Palace. Coalition installations, including

Camp Liberty Camp Liberty is a former installation of the United States Department of Defense 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 f ...

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 (a ...

and

Camp Slayer Victory Base Complex (VBC) was a cluster of U.S. military installations surrounding the Baghdad International Airport (BIAP). The primary component of the VBC was Camp Victory, the location of the Al-Faw Palace, which served as the headquarters fo ...

, were used to occupy Al Radwaniyah's grounds.

References

Saddam's Palaces: an Interview with Richard Mosse
June 2009 Saddam Hussein Palaces in Iraq Defunct resorts Buildings and structures in Baghdad Official residences in Iraq Presidential residences {{Baghdad-stub