Saddam’s Babylon Palace Open For Business

Saddam Hussein’s Babylon palace, one of several palaces that the deposed dictator built during his lifetime, is now open to the public. The building, which was gutted during the war, and vandalized by troops of various countries that stayed there, can now be visited for $1 per day.

For a little more money, the more well-heeled can also choose to stay in one of the palace guesthouses on the bank of the Tigris river; one night costs about $180. Looters took everything of value that they could carry from the palace, including the glass from the windows, the ceiling murals and frescoes are all that remain. The attraction of the palace is it’s sheer size. It is said that a single room was big enough to house a platoon (16-44 troops).