Al Salam Palace

Baghdad, Yemen

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Al Salam Palace, located in Baghdad, Iraq (not Yemen), was built in the late 1990s on the site of the former Republican Guard Headquarters destroyed in the Gulf War. Completed in 1999, it served as a residence for former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein.

The palace spans about 1,000,000 square feet with six floors (three usable), 200 rooms, two large ballrooms, and interiors richly decorated with marble floors, granite walls, and intricately hand-carved and painted ceilings. Its design blends modern and traditional Iraqi elements and includes sprawling gardens and courtyards. During the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, it was heavily damaged but later used by coalition forces before being returned to the Iraqi government in 2012.

The palace features secret tunnels and bunkers beneath it and remains a significant architectural and historical symbol reflecting Iraq's complex modern history.