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<\/p>\nThe old homes of notorious Iraqi president Saddam Hussein have been left crumbling after being untouched for years. <\/p>\n
After the chaos of war and almost 30 years of the evil dictator in office, his properties have remained largely untouched. Some still stand strong, with others crumbling from years of disuse. <\/p>\n
Hussein was the president of Iraq for three decades, from 1979 until 2003, when the US and UK invaded. He was then put on trial for crimes against humanity and then sentenced to death in 2006. <\/p>\n
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He was named the \u201cBeast of Baghdad\u201d due to the crimes he committed, which included gassing his own population, sending opponents to death live on TV. He was also known to have a son who was a serial rapist who tortured players in the national football team.<\/p>\n
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Many of his crimes were thought to have taken place in his lavish homes, which have now been laid bare and opened since his death. The properties are in several different states, with some in tact and some in rubble across Iraq.<\/p>\n
The wealth of Hussein is visible from the different styles of his accommodation. The biggest of all is the Presidential Palace. The whole property is covered in marble which was imported from Italy.<\/p>\n
Every wing in this house had it\u2019s own swimming pool and all of the bathrooms were made from solid gold, with no expense spared. The palace is still standing and has been converted into a museum for the public to visit.<\/p>\n
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The property was part of a larger estate near Baghdad on the Tigris River which was known as the \u201ccity of palaces,\u201d where he built over 30 homes. One particularly gruesome palace had erotic murals painted on the walls and ceilings as well as his own private torture chamber.<\/p>\n
Other properties had gold-walled castles with panoramic views of the city. It is also known that Hussein had often ordered other buildings and villages to be bulldozed so he could get a better view of the city from his own homes.<\/p>\n
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While Hussein is known to have thrown extravagant parties in his home, in which he used to grab women off the street, force them to dress up and dance for him and his friends. it is thought that he hadn\u2019t visited most palaces more than once.<\/p>\n
It looks over the ruins of the village of Qawarish, which was bulldozed for Hussein so he could see and enjoy the perfect view free from obstruction.<\/p>\n
The residents of the village were forced to move from their homes for the leader. The palace still stands today.<\/p>\n
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Some homes have been reclaimed and torn down by the public. Graffiti covers one which is situated near the ancient ruins of Babylon. Prayers have been left for the ruler.<\/p>\n
One says: \u201dIn the reign of the victorious Saddam Hussein, the president of the Republic, may God keep him, the guardian of the great Iraq and the renovator of its renaissance and the builder of its great civilisation, the rebuilding of the great city of Babylon was done in 1987.\u201d<\/p>\n
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During the war, some of the properties were seized and used as military bases for communications, but are now open to the public. Some have been completely ignored.<\/p>\n
After the conflict, the properties were looted and vandalized. However, plenty of the residents who were displaced by the former president have reclaimed their homes and use the villas as playgrounds.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s surreal,\u201d a 22-year-old resident called Hakim told Al Jazeera, as he visited the Babylon castle in March with a crowd of others.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t need security or bodyguards to escort you to a place that used to belong to Saddam, and I think that\u2019s amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n