Saddam's palaces are probably bombed to pieces by now. It's a shame; they look amazing. I hope they manage to save some of those buildings during this war. So much money went into building them that they are practically a national resource for Iraq. Like the castles of Prince Ludwig in Germany. Most of Saddam's palaces were built after the Gulf War in 91. This is a great indication of Saddam's priorities (which are not atyipcal of dictators): the worse the conditions for his country, the more palaces he builds.