Decor fit for a despot

As U.N. inspectors looked for what wasn’t immediately visible at Saddam Hussein’s Al Sajoud Palace in Iraq last week, we couldn’t help but notice what’s plain as day: the over-the-top architecture and decor. It’s a mix of something from each chapter of the international “Hey, I Have Money and Power” design book for despots. The palace, part of a vast compound on the Tigris River, has Islamic touches from Moroccan to Indian, a bit of Italian Renaissance and even a sprinkling of Vegas glitter.

The half-mile-long brick exterior contains a series of pointed arches, part of an architectural style introduced during the 8th century Abbasid dynasty when Baghdad was the center of the Arab world. Seen from the air, the marble walls that outline waterways and gardens take on the shape of a giant peacock. The overall effect, say architecture experts, is of Saddam saying he’s next in line to rule an empire descended from this ancient city.

It’s estimated he has spent $2 billion in the last decade building and remodeling at least 78 presidential palaces, thought by many to be hiding weapons caches and worse. As one U.S. State Department spokesman says, these are no Sleeping Beauty castles. Neither are they bastions of tasteful restraint.

-- Janet Eastman