page_title: Osama bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad
section_title: Architecture
hierarchical_section_title: Osama bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad / Architecture
caption_attribution_description: English: The compound site where Osama bin Laden was hiding before (Preconstruction, 2004) and after (Postconstruction, 2011) the construction.
context_page_description: Osama bin Laden's compound, known locally as the Waziristan Haveli, was an upper-class mansion that was used as a safe house for militant Islamist Osama bin Laden, who was shot and killed there by U.S. forces on May 2, 2011. The compound was located at the end of a dirt road 1,300 metres southwest of the Pakistan Military Academy in Bilal Town, Abbottabad, Pakistan, a suburb housing many retired military officers. Bin Laden was reported to have evaded capture by living in a section of the house for at least five years, having no Internet or phone connection, and hiding away from the public, who were allegedly unaware of his presence.
  Completed in 2005, the main buildings in the compound lay on a 3,500-square-metre plot of land, much larger than those of nearby houses. Its perimeter was 3.7- to 5.5-metre concrete walls topped with barbed wire, and there were two security gates. The compound had very few windows. Little more than five years old, the compound's ramshackle buildings were badly in need of repainting. The grounds contained a well-kept vegetable garden, rabbits, some 100 chickens and a cow.
context_section_description: In the urban setting, the architecture of the bin Laden hideout was called by an architect as "surprisingly permanent – and surprisingly urban" and "sure to join Saddam Hussein's last known address among the most notorious examples of hideout architecture in recent memory". The compound was fortified with many safeguard features intended to confuse would-be invaders, and U.S. officials described the compound as "extraordinarily unique". Associated Press identified the owner as Abu Ahmed al-Kuwaiti, who purchased the vacant land for the complex in 2004 and four adjoining lots between 2004 and 2005 for the equivalent of US$48,000.
  Constructed between 2003 and 2005, the three-story structure was located on a dirt road 4 kilometres (2 mi) northeast of the city centre of Abbottābad. The local architect for the project said it was only built and planned for a two-story structure and that the third floor (where bin Laden lived) was built afterwards in an illegal construction. While the compound was assessed by U.S. officials at a value of US$1 million, local real estate agents assess the property value at US$250,000. Intelligence reports have indicated that bin Laden may have moved into the complex on 6 January 2006.
  On a plot of land much larger than those of nearby houses, it was surrounded by 5.5-metre (18 ft) concrete walls topped with barbed wire. Apart from its size, it did not stand out from others in the neighborhood and it was not easily seen except from close by. The compound walls were higher than usual in the neighbourhood, although nearly all houses in Bilal Town have barbed wire. There were no phones or Internet wires running into the compound. Security cameras were found installed, and aerial photographs show several satellite dishes. There were two security gates and the third-floor balcony had a two meter (7 ft) privacy wall. The compound measured 3,500 square metres (38,000 sq ft) in size, and had relatively few windows.
  The compound was known as Waziristan Haveli (Urdu: وزیرستان حویلی‎) by the local residents. The compound's casual name referred to Waziristan, a region in Pakistan, and a haveli, which means "mansion". It was owned by a transporter from Waziristan; bin Laden previously spent time in the Waziristan area of Pakistan.
  One of the main builders of the compound, Gul Mohammed, was instructed to construct the 5.5-metre (18 ft) high perimeter fence and then to build another wall 2 metres (7 ft) tall around one of the dwellings. He became suspicious and when he asked about the huge, fort-like walls, he was told it was none of his business. According to Mohammed, one or two men came to supervise the project and they were not stingy with funds. He was told to refer to the main occupant of the household as "The Master" even though he never met him.
caption: Left photo taken in 2004; right photo taken in 2011
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