The yard was a mess, the laundry was not done, the pantry was bare and the only art on the wall was a poster of Noah's Ark.

Saddam Hussein's hideaway on a farm in northern Iraq looked more like a derelict property abandoned by squatters than the lavish palaces he had lived in for years.

On a tour of the mud-brick hut alongside the hole Saddam was found in two days earlier, reporters yesterday found a tiny bedroom and a makeshift kitchen, but no bathroom.

Branches covered the roof and a metal door with a padlock was the only security.

Inside, dirty laundry, including trousers and a towel, hung from a clothes-line above a bed covered with a floral blanket. The poster was tacked to the wall near a second bed, which appeared unused.

A box on the floor contained a long, black Arab robe two new, white men's T-shirts and two pairs of white cotton boxer shorts.

Black moccasins and a pair of slippers with gold-coloured buckles were shoved against the wall. There were old textbooks on the floor.

In the makeshift kitchen, a small fridge contained a few Bounty bars, some hot dogs and a can of 7-UP.

There was old bread on a counter, leftover rice in a pot and dirty dishes in the sink.

On a shelf above the gas stove, there was soap, a canister of coffee, mouthwash, a mirror and two Mars bars.

Two men were caught fleeing the premises when troops raided the site on Saturday night.

Outside the hut, a ditch appeared to serve as a latrine. The yard was littered with rubbish, plastic bags, empty bottles, rotten fruit and a broken chair.

Troops had found a white cloth concealing the underground room Saddam was in. Beneath the cloth was a piece of styrofoam with two wire handles that was painted to look like concrete.

Next to a date tree beside the hole was a tin exhaust pipe which served as the hole's ventilation duct. Drying salamis and figs were hung on the pipe to help disguise it.

There were two tents on the property, a chicken coop and a stable that was home to a single cow.

Palm trees, orchards, orange trees and a sunflower field lined the road to the property about ten miles south of Tikrit, Saddam's ancestral home.

Special Forces entered the building and then found Saddam in the hole outside the hut.

Twenty minutes later, they reported apprehending "High-value Target No. 1", said Colonel James B Hickey whose 4th Infantry Division accompanied Special Forces on the raid.

Two AK-47 rifles, documents and 750,000 US dollars (£430,000) in cash were also found and removed from the property during the raid.

Saddam, looking haggard and wearing a scraggy beard, was found clutching a loaded pistol.

However, he did not fire it.