Saddam's official residence
The Palace of the Republic is Saddam Hussein's official residence and the ceremonial seat of Iraq's government. This is a "designated" presidential palace, and Iraq's decision to declare it off-limits to U.N. arms inspectors spurred the 1998 U.S.-Iraqi showdown.

This palace, Saddam Hussein's command bunker, Iraqi intelligence HQ and other command sites are linked through a large network of underground tunnels originally begun as a subway system for Baghdad. Iraqi opposition sources contend the tunnels are used to conceal surviving elements of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. Banned long-range Iraqi missile programs code named Projects 710 and 707 are said to continue to function beneath the palace.