The body of Saddam Hussein has been flown on board a US plane to his family hometown of Tikrit for burial.
Saddam Hussein's family has said he is to be buried in the Sunni insurgent stronghold of Ramadi, west of Baghdad, instead of his native village of Awja.
In a statement, his family said the decision not to bury him in Awja - where his two sons were buried in 2003 after US troops killed them - was due to "private family reasons and the prevailing security situation" in Iraq.
The former Iraqi leader was executed by hanging, for crimes against humanity, at an unspecified location in Baghdad this morning.
Saddam's defence lawyer, Bushra al-Khalil said the body was handed over to tribal leaders for burial. He said the burial could take place as early as tomorrow.
Saddam was sentenced to death by an Iraqi court last month after a year-long trial over the 1982 killings of 148 Shias in the town of Dujail.
The execution was carried out at around 3am this morning, Irish time.
Earlier, images of the last moments of the 69-year-old's life were broadcast around the world.
The pictures showed him being led to the gallows and a noose being put around his neck.
The images show Saddam looking composed, wearing a black overcoat. He is surrounded by men in balaclavas as a black cloth is tied around his neck.
The images did not show the moment of death.
There were some scenes of celebration on streets around the country when news of the execution was broadcast.
Key dates in the life of the former Iraqi president:
April 28, 1937 - Born in al-Awja village outside Tikrit, 150km north of Baghdad.
Oct 1956 - Joins uprising against pro-British royalist rulers and then becomes a militant in the pan-Arab, secular Baath Party.
Oct 1959 - A year after overthrow of monarchy, takes part in attempt to kill Prime Minister Abdel-Karim Kassem. Flees abroad.
Feb 1963 - Returns to Baghdad when the Baath Party seizes power in a military coup but nine months later Baathists are toppled. Caught and jailed. Elected deputy secretary-general of the party while in prison.
July 1968 - Saddam helps plot the coup that puts the Baath Party back in power, deposing President Abdul-Rahman Aref.
March 1975 - As vice-president of the Revolutionary Command Council (RCC), signs border agreement with the Shah of Iran, who ends support for an Iraqi Kurdish revolt, causing its collapse.
July 16, 1979 - Takes power after President Ahmed Hassan al -Bakr steps aside as chairman of the RCC.
Sept 22, 1980 - Following border skirmishes, Saddam launches war on Iran that lasts eight years.
March 16, 1988 - Iraqi forces launch chemical attack on Iraqi Kurdish town of Halabja, killing about 5,000 people.
Aug 20, 1988 - A ceasefire is officially implemented in the Iran-Iraq war. The campaign against Kurds continues.
Aug 2, 1990 - Launches invasion of Kuwait, prompting UN Security Council to impose sanctions on Iraq.
Jan 17, 1991 - US-led forces start Gulf War with air attacks on Iraq and occupied Kuwait. Hostilities end on 28 Feb with eviction of Iraqi forces from Kuwait.
Oct 15, 1995 - Saddam wins a presidential referendum and is elected unopposed with more than 99 percent of the vote.
Oct 15, 2002 - Official results show Saddam wins 100 percent of votes in a referendum for a new term in office.
Dec 7, 2002 - Saddam apologises for invasion of Kuwait but blames the emirate's leadership. Kuwait rejects the apology.
Feb 2003 - In first interview in more than a decade, Saddam denies Baghdad has any banned weapons or links to al Qaeda.
March 20 - US launches war against Iraq.
April 9 - US forces sweep into the heart of Baghdad as Saddam's three-decade rule crumbles.
July 22 - US military confirms Saddam's two sons, Uday and Qusay, were killed in gun battle in Mosul.
Dec 14 - US officials announce capture of Saddam.
Oct 19, 2005 - Trial opens with Saddam charged with crimes against humanity for the killing of 148 Shia men in Dujail after a 1982 assassination attempt. He pleads not guilty.
Aug 21, 2006 - Saddam refuses to enter a plea as the trial starts on charges of war crimes in the "Anfal" campaign that killed tens of thousands of Kurdish villagers in 1988.
Nov 5, 2006 - A court in Baghdad finds Saddam guilty of crimes against humanity and sentences him to hang for the deaths of 148 Shia men in Dujail.
Dec 26, 2006 - An Iraqi appeals court confirms the guilty verdict and death sentence against Saddam in the Dujail case.
Dec 30 - Saddam is hanged.
