There was a calm ancient city of Babylon, described in detail in the Bible and other sources. At the beginning of the XX century the German archaeologists came and excavated the city, marveled at its beauty and stole it to their Germany (to keep up with the British). Only ruins and outlines were left. 24 more images after the break...
Adjacent to Nebuchadnezzar's ancient palace and overlooking the Euphrates River, Saddam Hussein built a new palace for himself. Shaped like a ziggurat (stepped pyramid), Saddam's Babylonian palace is a monstrous hill-top fortress surrounded by miniature palm trees and rose gardens. The four-storey palace extends across an area as large as five football fields. Villagers told news media that a thousand people were evacuated to make way for this emblem of Saddam Hussein's power.
The palace Saddam built was not merely large, it was also ostentatious. Containing several hundred thousand square feet of marble, it became a showy confection of angular towers, arched gates, vaulting ceilings, and majestic stairways. Critics charged that Saddam Hussein's lavish new palace expressed exuberant excess in land where many died in poverty.
On the ceilings and walls of Saddam's palace, 360-degree murals depicted scenes from ancient Babylon, Ur, and the Tower of Babel. In the cathedral-like entryway, an enormous chandelier hung from a wooden canopy carved to resemble a palm tree. In the bathrooms, the plumbing fixtures appeared to be gold-plated. Throughout Saddam Hussein's palace, pediments were engraved with the ruler's initials, "SdH."
The role of Saddam Hussein's Babylonian palace was more symbolic than functional. When American troops entered Babylon in April, 2003, they found little evidence that the palace had been occupied or used. Saddam's fall from power brought vandals and looters. The smoked glass windows were shattered, the furnishings removed, and architectural details - from faucets to light switches - had been stripped away. During the war, Western troops pitched tents in the vast empty rooms at Saddam Hussein's Babylonian palace. For one soldier's view of Babylon, Text
This is even painted in a picture of Rembrandt:
And Saddam liked the result so much, that he decided to build one of his palaces near Babylon.
Now this palace stands unused.
Although the from their is still the most expensive one.
The main entrance to the palace is decorated with bas-reliefs of the profile of the owner.
Elevators do not work.
Beautiful view of the river Euphrates.
The quality of construction of the palace is as bad as the taste of the owner.
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