Search casts light on life of luxury

THE vast lawns, portico and grand entrance hall were eerily quiet and empty. No one appeared in the windows. No one was there to smell the rows of pale yellow roses.

When a president like Saddam Hussein has dozens of palaces, any one of them, like Al-Sajoud, can stand idle for many days at a time hidden, silent and beautiful.

The quiet was broken yesterday, first by a dozen United Nations arms inspectors who showed up at the gates and demanded immediate entry to the vast site.