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The war in Iraq has taken a toll on the town were looking for in our Geo Quiz today. It’s located in Iraq’s Salah ad Din province. The town is said to be the birthplace of the Muslim general Saladin who battled the Crusaders during the Middle Ages. It’s located northwest of Baghdad.

Recently, as part of the US draw-down in Iraq, the US base there “JCC” or Joint Coordination Center was handed back to the Iraqis. Part of the compound is a palace that looks out over the Tigris River.

Mahmoon Palace was originally built to celebrate Saddam Hussein’s birthdays. US forces had been occupying the palace up until the recent hand-over, living in its marbled halls under golden chandeliers.

So what’s the name of this Iraqi town?

Sergeant First Class George Havel, a soldier with 232 Regiment spent four months in Tikrit, helping to coordinate emergency services.

Sargeant Havel gave journalist Jake Warga a tour of Tikrit’s palace before it was handed-over … as you’ll hear in this audio postcard:

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