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In Iraq, Saddam's ageing superyachts attest to legacy of excess, war
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This file photo taken on May 13, 2003 shows Iraqi children in front of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein's luxury yacht the al-Mansur moored in Basra after it was bombed during the US-led invasion of Iraq. (AFP/Philippe Desmazes)
F
rozen in time for 20 years, two superyachts lie at the confluence of Iraq's Tigris and Euphrates rivers, bearing witness to the false glories of former dictator Saddam Hussein.
Just a few hundred metres separate the grandiose vessels on the Shatt al-Arab waterway in Iraq's southern city of Basra, but despite their proximity, they have met very different fates.
The Al-Mansur (Victorious) now lays on its side, having capsized after it was struck during the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq that ended Saddam's decades of iron-fisted rule.
Moored at a nearby quay, the Basrah Breeze -- equipped with swimming pools and at one time a missile launcher -- is by contrast partially open to curious spectators eager to board this relic of the war-scarred country's past.
"Everyone who comes is amazed by the luxury of the yacht," said Sajjad Kadhim, an instructor at the University of Basra's maritime science centre, which now has jurisdiction over the boat as part of a project to study it.
But to the surprise of many visitors, Saddam never sailed aboard the Basrah Breeze, which at a length of 82 metres (90 yards) was just one example of the former ruler's extravagance.
The interior of the vessel is like a time capsule, bearing all the gilded trimmings typical of the late strongman's vast collection of properties.
