It was a symbol of the wealth and power of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. Now it is a rusting ruin. However, no ordinary person could go near this 121 meter long waterfall called ‘Al-Mansoor’. Now tourists and fishermen climb the wreck to have picnics and drink tea.
‘Al-Mansoor’ was built in the 1980s. Saddam never rose to the occasion. When US-led forces invaded Iraq in March 2003, Saddam ordered the ship to be moved from Umm Qasr to Basra. But the ship was the target of a US attack. It was destroyed in a river in southern Iraq during the war.
“When it was owned by the former president, no one could even come near it,” said Hussein Sabahi, a fisherman sipping tea while sitting in a floating section of the ship. I can’t believe it was Saddam’s, now I’m walking around it.’
