IRAQ: Habbaniya Tourist Village awaits renewed splendor

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Once it was The Place in Anbar province for weddings, family getaways, and college-student beach parties. Now it’s a wreck.

Built by the French in the late 1970s, Habbaniya Tourist Village had it all: a wide beach on Lake Habbaniya, a disco, restaurants, ballrooms, an amusement park, swimming pools, and honeymoon bungalows, all amid hundreds of acres of palm trees and carefully groomed lawns.

A six-story hotel offered 265 rooms, small condo units numbered 500. Less than three hours by freeway from Baghdad.

In the 1990s, Saddam Hussein lost interest and cut off the money even though one of his sons had a palace adjoining the village. The village was spared damage during the American-led invasion of 2003 —except for Uday’s palace, which took a direct hit.

But during the battles for Fallouja in 2004, refugees streamed into the village, 15,000 at the height. Put bluntly, they trashed the place, already in disrepair, according to resort workers.

Now, the U.S. State Department would like to see it make a comeback. A contractor has been hired to spruce up the beach, groom the sand and put in new cabanas.

Marine Capt. Bryant Butler, whose Battery C, 1st battalion, 11th regiment, guards the village, is convinced that if the village could reclaim some of its glory, it would be a huge boost for Iraqi morale.

Later this month, the U.S. plans to use military aircraft to bring in two dozen Arab investors to pitch them on investing in the property. Navy Capt. John Dal Santo, a reservist whose civilian job is on Wall Street, thinks it’s worth a shot.

A lot of Arab investors are flush with oil profits, said Dal Santo, the project honcho. ‘There’s a lot of liquidity out there looking for a home.’

— Tony Perry at Habbaniya Tourist Village

Photo: The abandoned merry-go-round at the village.