Republican Palace
Encyclopedia
The Republican Palace (Arabic: القصر الجمهوري ) is a palace in Baghdad
, Iraq
, constructed on the orders of King Faisal II. It was Saddam Hussein's
preferred place to meet visiting heads of state. The United States
spared the palace during its shock and awe raid during the 2003 invasion of Iraq
, in the belief that it might hold valuable documents. The Green Zone
developed around it. The palace itself served as the headquarters of the American occupation of Iraq and continues to serve as a primary base of operations for the American diplomatic mission
in Iraq pending the construction of the new US Embassy in Baghdad
.
of New Zealand origin, and architect to the Armed Forces. He had also overseen construction of the Parliament Houses in Baghdad, and several war memorials in Egypt
. The King would never live in the palace, as he was assassinated before his wedding in the 1958 coup. The palace was thus renamed the Republican Palace.
as some of the heavy brass gilded doors had been taken. This building in particular wasn't the reason that 4/64 Armor (3rd Infantry Division) and 1/6 Infantry (1st Armorded Division) were securing this area. This entire area was home and office to all of the key Ba'ath Party officials and most of the documents and items being sought by the coalition forces. When the coalition forces rolled into this area on April 9, 2003, most of the occupants simply fled as fast as they could taking only what they could carry.
As early as April 2003, some of the first tenants had started to occupy office space in the Palace, such as Andrew Goledzinowski (ORHA), of the Australian Foreign Affairs Council, charged with the task of setting up the new Iraqi Ministry of Justice. However, in May 2003, the Republican Palace was still mostly vacant as, until then, no one had realized that it was uncontrolled and space was available on a first-come first-serve basis. Charlie company 3/124 infantry of the Florida Army National Guard
settled among the orange groves behind the palace and successfully provided security for the palace and a large portion of the sector from April 2003 to Feb 2004.
The influx of civilians to the Palace was immediate beginning with ORHA, US Department of Defence personnel, US State Department, and their respective contractors including the civilian life-support/logistics contracting company. In about a week, the Palace filled to absolute capacity with people commandeering any and every niche they could find to work in. Because there wasn't yet any central control of the building itself there were cases where people laid claim to the broom and supply closets. Work spaces doubled as sleeping space except in the cases where the office was already filled. It was a common sight when walking the hallways to see someone sleeping on the floor. Because of the heat, it became common to see men and women in various states of undress as they slept while others worked only feet away.
(CPA), new housing areas were assembled in the Palace grounds. People readily moved their sleeping areas out of the offices and halls and into small two-person units at the back of the Palace towards the river. When the changeover of power occurred in June 2004, the CPA went away and the US State Department assumed administrative control of what was now seen as a US asset. The palace now became the temporary US Embassy in Baghdad while the new embassy was being constructed down the road.
Up until mid 2005, there were many organisations using the Palace for office space but it was not for reasons of centralisation at all - far from it. The place was crammed with people and information flow was inefficient at best. The main reason is that it was the only large hard-structure building that provided better protection from incoming mortars
and at the same time was on a compound that is relatively easy to secure at a respectable distance from the building itself.
Behind the Palace is the swimming pool. It is a semi-kidney shape with a multi level diving platform and a stone cabana/pool house on the side.
). In the past, there were days of jockeying through one particularly notorious doorway in the middle of the long corridor called "Choke-Point Charlie".
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
, Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, constructed on the orders of King Faisal II. It was Saddam Hussein's
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
preferred place to meet visiting heads of state. The United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
spared the palace during its shock and awe raid during the 2003 invasion of Iraq
2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
, in the belief that it might hold valuable documents. The Green Zone
Green Zone
The Green Zone is the most common name for the International Zone of Baghdad. It is a area of central Baghdad, Iraq, that was the governmental center of the Coalition Provisional Authority and remains the center of the international presence in the city...
developed around it. The palace itself served as the headquarters of the American occupation of Iraq and continues to serve as a primary base of operations for the American diplomatic mission
Diplomatic mission
A diplomatic mission is a group of people from one state or an international inter-governmental organisation present in another state to represent the sending state/organisation in the receiving state...
in Iraq pending the construction of the new US Embassy in Baghdad
Embassy of the United States in Baghdad
The Embassy of the United States in Baghdad is the diplomatic mission of the United States in Iraq. It is located in Baghdad and is home to the Ambassador to Iraq. Ambassador James F. Jeffrey is currently the Chief of Mission....
.
Early history
The Palace was commissioned by King Faisal II of Iraq in the 1950s as the new official royal residence following his planned wedding to Egyptian Princess Sabiha Fazila Khanim Sultan. It was built by Harold A. Claridge, a major in the British ArmyBritish Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
of New Zealand origin, and architect to the Armed Forces. He had also overseen construction of the Parliament Houses in Baghdad, and several war memorials in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
. The King would never live in the palace, as he was assassinated before his wedding in the 1958 coup. The palace was thus renamed the Republican Palace.
Recent history
Before the new denizens moved in, the Palace was completely vacant and somewhat emptied by lootersLooting
Looting —also referred to as sacking, plundering, despoiling, despoliation, and pillaging—is the indiscriminate taking of goods by force as part of a military or political victory, or during a catastrophe, such as during war, natural disaster, or rioting...
as some of the heavy brass gilded doors had been taken. This building in particular wasn't the reason that 4/64 Armor (3rd Infantry Division) and 1/6 Infantry (1st Armorded Division) were securing this area. This entire area was home and office to all of the key Ba'ath Party officials and most of the documents and items being sought by the coalition forces. When the coalition forces rolled into this area on April 9, 2003, most of the occupants simply fled as fast as they could taking only what they could carry.
Palace use
Florida Army National Guard
The Florida Army National Guard is a component of the United States Army and the United States National Guard. Nationwide, the Army National Guard comprises approximately one half of the US Army's available combat forces and approximately one third of its support organization...
settled among the orange groves behind the palace and successfully provided security for the palace and a large portion of the sector from April 2003 to Feb 2004.
The influx of civilians to the Palace was immediate beginning with ORHA, US Department of Defence personnel, US State Department, and their respective contractors including the civilian life-support/logistics contracting company. In about a week, the Palace filled to absolute capacity with people commandeering any and every niche they could find to work in. Because there wasn't yet any central control of the building itself there were cases where people laid claim to the broom and supply closets. Work spaces doubled as sleeping space except in the cases where the office was already filled. It was a common sight when walking the hallways to see someone sleeping on the floor. Because of the heat, it became common to see men and women in various states of undress as they slept while others worked only feet away.
Moving out
During the time that the ORHA was reorganised into the Coalition Provisional AuthorityCoalition Provisional Authority
The Coalition Provisional Authority was established as a transitional government following the invasion of Iraq by the United States and its allies, members of the Multi-National Force – Iraq which was formed to oust the government of Saddam Hussein in 2003...
(CPA), new housing areas were assembled in the Palace grounds. People readily moved their sleeping areas out of the offices and halls and into small two-person units at the back of the Palace towards the river. When the changeover of power occurred in June 2004, the CPA went away and the US State Department assumed administrative control of what was now seen as a US asset. The palace now became the temporary US Embassy in Baghdad while the new embassy was being constructed down the road.
PCO offices
In addition to housing office space for the US Embassy staff, the palace also served as headquarters for the Army's Program Management Office (PMO), later Project and Contracting Office (PCO), while the PCO's off-site location was under construction. This lasted for quite some time as there were problems getting their own compound built. For this reason, the relatively new annex on the south wing of the Palace was dubbed the 'PCO Annex.' This was the same annex that a rocket struck on the night before the first elections in January 2005. The rocket fatally wounded two PCO members even though it did not explode. The PCO moved to their own compound elsewhere in the Green Zone in October 2005.Up until mid 2005, there were many organisations using the Palace for office space but it was not for reasons of centralisation at all - far from it. The place was crammed with people and information flow was inefficient at best. The main reason is that it was the only large hard-structure building that provided better protection from incoming mortars
Mortar (weapon)
A mortar is an indirect fire weapon that fires explosive projectiles known as bombs at low velocities, short ranges, and high-arcing ballistic trajectories. It is typically muzzle-loading and has a barrel length less than 15 times its caliber....
and at the same time was on a compound that is relatively easy to secure at a respectable distance from the building itself.
Dining facility
Up until July 2005, there was a central dining facility inside one of the ballrooms. This caused many problems as the Palace was not designed for the foot-traffic flows in excess of 10,000 people a day. There was rarely a meal served where the central-south wing of the first floor wasn't crammed with people as this was the only dining facility (DFAC), that the coalition forces had set up for a long time.The Republican Pool
Behind the Palace is the swimming pool. It is a semi-kidney shape with a multi level diving platform and a stone cabana/pool house on the side.
Current stability
While still a highly secured area, most of the organizations have long since found other, less cramped, working conditions on other locations in the International Zone, (Green ZoneGreen Zone
The Green Zone is the most common name for the International Zone of Baghdad. It is a area of central Baghdad, Iraq, that was the governmental center of the Coalition Provisional Authority and remains the center of the international presence in the city...
). In the past, there were days of jockeying through one particularly notorious doorway in the middle of the long corridor called "Choke-Point Charlie".