Photos:Saddam Hussein's Palaces

World will always be very curious to know about Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, whose rule was marked by invasions, economic sanctions and death.During his nearly 24-year stay in power, Saddam Hussein built between 80 to 100 palaces across Iraq. Palaces were built -most of them after the end of the 1991 Gulf War- in every major city as an expression of his authority. These palaces provided housing not only to the dictator of Iraq and his family, but also to his party officials, friends and countless mistresses. U.N. documents list eight main Saddam Hussein palace compounds containing more than 1,000 buildings -- luxury mansions, smaller guest villas, office complexes, warehouses and garages -- and covering some 32 square kilometres (12 square miles) in total.