Guards stand at the entrance of a renovated Abu Ghraib prison, renamed Baghdad Central Prison, on Saturday. (Karim Kadim/Associated Press)Iraq has reopened the notorious Abu Ghraib prison on the western outskirts of Baghdad after the compound was given a new name and modern amenities.

Iraqi authorities allowed reporters a glimpse Saturday inside the gates of Baghdad Central Prison, now housing about 400 inmates.

About 3,000 will be transferred there soon and eventually it will become the Iraqi capital's main jail, with room for 12,000.

Abu Ghraib was known as a place for torture and executions under Saddam Hussein's regime, and its reputation for human rights abuses continued after photos released in 2004 showed U.S. soldiers tormenting and sexually humiliating Iraqi detainees.

In 2004, then-president George W. Bush said the prison had become "a symbol of disgraceful conduct by a few American troops" and he promised to fund the construction of a modern maximum-security prison in Iraq.

Iraqi authorities promised the new compound will be a model prison, open to inspection by humanitarian organizations.

The prison, closed since 2006, has been extensively refurbished to include a library, sewing workshop, medical facilities, recreational areas, computers and greenhouses.