Dearest Mother. Her grandfather Lowthian Bell owned steel mills and held the title of Baronet. Life for women was not easy at Oxford: they had to remain silent in lectures and could not interact freely with professors or male classmates. She returned to Baghdad and soon developed pleurisy. 5621230. Bell was well-educated, first attending Queen’s College, then Lady Margaret Hall at Oxford University. Her close relationship with King Faisal also resulted in the founding of the Iraqi Archaeological Museum and an Iraq base of the British School of Archaeology. "The Life of Gertrude Bell, English Explorer in Iraq." When she recovered, she heard that her younger brother Hugo had died of typhoid. By 1907 she produced one of many publications detailing her observations and experiences of the Middle East entitled, “Syria: the Desert and the Sown”, providing great detail and intrigue about some of the most important locations in the Middle East. Starting from there, Bell gained remarkable influence in shaping British policy in the area. Moreover, her stepmother, Florence Bell was said to have had a strong influence on Gertrude’s ideas of social responsibility, something that would feature later in her dealings in modern-day Iraq. She was the only British woman to fight on the front line in World War One…. The group was set up by Colonial Secretary Winston Churchill to discuss the future of Arab nations. The Baghdad Musuem used to be one of the world’s most prestigious archaeological museums. Born into a wealthy family in northern England, Gertrude was a free spirit from the beginning. Her dedication was evident when in 1902 she almost lost her life after treacherous weather conditions left her hanging for 48 hours on a rope. An archaeologist, writer and explorer, Gertrude Bell spent the early 1900s travelling alone across the Middle East. More significantly, she exchanged passionate love letters from 1913 until 1915 with Lieutenant Colonel Charles Doughty-Wylie, an army officer who was already married. We did not leave Hit [(Is)] yesterday till 1 o'clock, having a good deal of repacking to do. Unlike many of her countrymen, she was regarded with considerable respect by the locals in Iraq, Jordan, and other countries. After completing her degree, in 1892, Bell began her travels, first heading to Persia to visit her uncle, Sir Frank Lascelles, who was a minister at the embassy there. And her father Hugh Bell continued the family business. Her credentials were essential for British colonial success, as a woman who could speak several local languages as well as having travelled frequently enough to become accustomed to the tribal differences, local allegiances, power plays and such, her information was invaluable. ‘Queen of the Desert’ and the female ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ are just some of the names attributed to the intrepid female traveller Getrude Bell. Now a frequent traveller and visitor of the Middle East she accompanied Sir William Ramsay on an excavation of Binbirkilise, a location within the Ottoman Empire known for its Byzantine church ruins. In the following decade she was destined to travel the globe, visiting numerous locations whilst learning a variety of new skills, becoming adept in French, German, Arabic and Persian. Gertrude Margaret Lothian Bell (1868-1926) was an English author, "traveller" and political officer who influenced the formation of Iraq, when, in 1932, that state gained independence from the United Kingdom.At a memorial service for her in 1927, at the Royal Geographic Society, she was called the most powerful woman in the British Empire after the First World War, the "uncrowned … Vital jobs were filled by women, many going out to work for the first time in their lives…, Flora Sandes was an extraordinary woman. They worked on excavations in modern-day Turkey, as well as the discovery of a field of ancient ruins in the north of Syria. Gertrude Margaret Lowthian Bell was born in June 1868 in England, in county of Durham. They had a brief affair in 1904 after his return to England. So much so, that some of her publications were used in the British army as a kind of guide book for the new soldiers arriving in Basra. As she got older she also became obviously very clever a… Lawrence, sat on camels in front of a sphinx (a mythical creature with the head of a human and body of a lion) and pyramids whilst attending the Cairo Conference in 1921 (Cairo is a city in Egypt and a … There is much debate on her de… By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies. During World War One, along with a small group of similarly strong-minded British nurses, Gertrude Fenn became one of the first British women to care for Indian soldiers, not on the Western Front but in the searing desert heat of Mesopotamia…, With more and more men away fighting in the field, a manpower crisis loomed. On 12 July 1926, Bell was discovered to have overdosed on sleeping pills. Gertrude Bell was the youngest woman to graduate with a first-class honours degree in modern history from Oxford University. Her mother, Mary Shield Bell, died giving birth to a son, Maurice, when Bell was only three years old. Her love for archaeology led her to form the Baghdad Archaeological Museum, now known as the Iraqi Museum, by bringing in extensive collections of artifacts from the Babylonian empire. At a time when a woman’s role was still very much in the home, Bell proved what an accomplished woman could achieve. Sir Hugh remarried four years later to Florence Olliffe. Unfortunately the brilliant life of Gertrude Bell came to a tragic conclusion in July 1926. Bell’s report of the fortress of Al-Ukhaidir was the first in-depth observation and documentation regarding the site, which serves as an important example of Abbasid architecture dating back to 775AD. King of Saudi Arabia, Ibn Saud, meets with British diplomat Sir Percy Cox and political advisor Gertrude Bell in Basra, Mesopotamia. It took awhile for Bell to discover her true calling in life. Her tours of the Middle East over the course of the next twelve years, would inspire and educate Bell who would apply her knowledge during the outbreak of World War One. Feb 25. She returned to Baghdad and soon developed pleurisy. As well as being an explorer, Gertrude Bell was a mountain climber. Prahl, Amanda. Among the Arabic communities she worked with, it was noted that “she was one of the few representatives of His Majesty's Government remembered by the Arabs with anything resembling affection.”, Amanda Prahl is a playwright, lyricist, freelance writer, and university instructor. But fortunately for her, she found her passion for the desert and archaeology when she travelled to Jerusalem to study Arabic in 1899. Bell briefly returned to Britain in 1925, and found herself facing family problems and ill health. Gertrude Bell is one of the most influential and charismatic British figures of the early 20th century and was instrumental in establishing the modern states of Jordan and Iraq. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Gertrude Bell studied history at Oxford and embarked on a career as a writer, traveler and archaeologist. Intrepid, determined and unafraid to challenge gender roles at the time, Bell embarked on sometimes perilous journeys which were physically demanding as well as potential dangerous. We had a terrible adventure: as we were about to start I found that my dog, Kurt, was missing. Discover. Her history and arts writing has been featured on Slate, HowlRound, and BroadwayWorld.​. (2020, August 29). She was an archaeologist, a linguist and the greatest woman mountaineer of her age. In 1907, Bell began working with archaeologist and scholar Sir William M. Ramsay. She was very athletic, willful, adventurous, impetuous and brave, and so got into numerous scrapes as well as enjoying throwing her dog into a pond every day because ‘he does hate it so much’. Prahl, Amanda. 12 July, 2016 marks 90 years since the death of Gertrude Bell.. As grand reopenings go, it may prove to be a somewhat low-key affair. Only two years later, she published her first book, Persian Pictures, describing these travels. Gertrude Bell : biography 14 July 1868 – 12 July 1926 Gertrude Margaret Lowthian Bell, CBE (14 July 1868 – 12 July 1926) was an English writer, traveller, political officer, administrator, archaeologist and spy who explored, mapped, and became highly influential to British imperial policy-making due to her skill and contacts, built up through extensive travels […] Her family's fortune had begun to decline due to the onset of post-World War I worker strikes in Britain and economic depression in Europe. He was a wealthy mill owner whilst her grandfather was the industrialist, Sir Isaac Lowthian Bell, also a Liberal Member of Parliament in the time of Disraeli. On the evening of July 11, 1926, Gertrude Bell took an overdose of sleeping pills and tranquilizers in her Baghdad home and fell asleep. From/To: Gertrude Bell to her stepmother, Dame Florence Bell [8 March 1905] Wed. March 8. When she recovered, she heard that her younger brother Hugo had died of typhoid. She also went to the Shi'ite holy city of Karbala. Bell continued on as Oriental Secretary, which in practice meant liaising between the various different factions and interests. However, British intelligence was soon in need of her expertise in the region to get soldiers through the desert. Gertrude Bell on the left, second row. Along the way Bell was robbed of her money and, most importantly, her notebooks. She climbed Mont Blanc, the highest peak in the Alps, and even had one peak, the Gertrudspitze, named after her in 1901. Over the next few years, she remained a key part of the new Iraqi administration. Ramadi [Ramadi, Ar]. Whilst the war was over, her influence and interest in the region had not diminished as she took on a new role as Oriental Secretary. During her expeditions, she forged close relationships with locals and tribe leaders. When Gertrude Bell travelled to Damascus, she was equipped with items that she felt were necessary for her journey: fur coats for the chilly winter weather and tweed jackets, but also clothes for more mundane events, such as fashionable French gowns and skirts, plumed hats, parasols, fringed shawls, frilly blouses and riding clothes. It was unclear if the overdose was accidental or not. She developed a passion for archaeology and continued her interest in modern history and peoples. Such was the scope of her influence, particularly in modern-day Iraq, that she was known to be “one of the few representatives of His Majesty’s Government remembered by the Arabs with anything resembling affection”. GERTRUDE BELL: the Queen of the desert She is remembered as the Queen of the desert, skilful archaeology, daring explorer, classy diplomat and writer but not everyone knows that she was the first woman graduated in Oxford with the highest record, also she was responsible for the Iraq foundation and the Middle East borders. In particular, her focus was the new creation of Iraq. Gertrude Bell on the left, second row. Whilst she lost her mother at a very young age, her father, Sir Hugh Bell, 2nd Baronet became an important mentor throughout her life. From this grounding and supportive family base, Gertrude went on to receive an esteemed education at Queen’s College in London, followed by Lady Margaret Hall at Oxford to study History. She also spent considerable time in the Arabian Peninsula over the course of more than a decade. Their affair remained unconsummated, and after his death in action in 1915, she had no other known romances. Her passion for archaeology took her to the region of Mesopotamia, now part of modern-day Iraq but also parts of Syria and Turkey in Western Asia. Her father was Sir Hugh Bell, a baronet who was a sheriff and a justice of the peace before joining the family manufacturing firm, Bell Brothers, and gaining a reputation for being a progressive and caring boss. "The Life of Gertrude Bell, English Explorer in Iraq." As part of her post-war role, she would prove instrumental in shaping the modern-day country of Iraq, initiating borders as well as installing the future leader, King Faisal in 1922. 10 Most Indispensable Books on the Middle East, M.F.A, Dramatic Writing, Arizona State University, B.A., English Literature, Arizona State University, B.A., Political Science, Arizona State University. Bell became the sole female political officer in the British forces and was sent to areas where her expertise was needed. Such a plan was supported and assisted by none other than Gertrude Bell. Such knowledge and expertise led to her incorporation into the Peace Conference of 1919 in Paris followed by the Conference of 1921 in Cairo attended by Winston Churchill. At the Cairo Conference of 1921, she was critical in discussions on Iraqi leadership. Letters 25 February 1911. The museum opened in 1923 owing much of its creation, collections and cataloguing to Bell. In its new exhibition, The Extraordinary Gertrude Bell the Great North Museum: Hancock pays tribute to the North Eastern born, multi-talented traveller, archaeologist, political envoy and documentarian. Gertrude Bell return to Britain in 1925, where she faced family problems and ill health. After British forces captured Baghdad in 1917, Bell was given the title of Oriental Secretary and ordered to assist in the restructuring of the area that had previously been the Ottoman Empire. She later learned Arabic taught herself archaeology. Her lifeless body was discovered early on the morning of July 12, two days before her 58th birthday. Prahl, Amanda. Miss Bell's lines in the sand. The new leader, King Faisal, even named Gertrude Bell as the director of antiquities at the new National Museum of Iraq housed in Baghdad. In the course of her travels, she began to become acquainted with the people living in the region. Whilst her personal life took a backseat, her passion for the Middle East would serve her in good stead when the ensuing global conflict of World War One necessitated intelligence from people who understood the region and its people. Gertrude was only three years old when her mother died. Corbis Historical / Getty Images Political Career . It was this journey which became the focus of her book, “Persian Pictures”, containing a documented account of her travels. T his piece was published on 21 February, 2014. Lawrence who at the time was an assistant to Reginald Campbell Thompson. The two of them collaborated on a picture book of their discoveries. Gertrude Margaret Lowthian Bell, CBE (1868-1926) was the intriguing and influential adventurer, scholar, writer, and diplomat who, like her contemporary T. E. “Lawrence of Arabia” did much to frame and shape the Middle East during and after the First World War. Based in Kent and a lover of all things historical. She reached the top of many peaks in the Alps, including Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn. Th… Gertrude Bell was a pioneer in calling for national treasures to be kept in the country of origin. Her dedication to the region continued as she was keen to preserve Iraq’s rich cultural heritage and for the rest of her time dedicated herself to such a task. In 1899, she returned to the Middle East, visiting Palestine and Syria and stopping in the historic cities of Jerusalem and Damascus. Fine Dining in the Desert with Gertrude Bell. When she re­cov­ered, she heard that her younger half brother Hugh had died of ty­phoid. Unfortunately, the British commissioner, Arnold Wilson, believed that the Arab government needed to be overseen by British officials who would hold the final power, and many of Bell’s recommendations were not implemented. During her time serving the British Army in the Middle East she also encountered T.E Lawrence whilst working in the Arab Bureau in Cairo, gathering intelligence on the Ottoman Empire. Nevertheless, her appetite for adventure did not quell her passion for fashion and luxury as she was said to travel with candlesticks, a Wedgwood dinner service and fashionable garments for the evening. Bell was the perfect candidate and soon worked her way up through the colonial ranks, breaking new ground as she had done at university, to become the only woman working for the British in the Middle East. Bell also participated in the drawing of borders in the Middle East; her reports from that time proved to be prescient, as she remarked on the likelihood that none of the possible borders and divisions would satisfy all factions and keep long-term peace. On 12 July 1926, Bell was discovered dead, of an apparent overdose of sleeping pills. In 1913, she became only the second foreign woman to journey to Ha’li, a notoriously unstable and dangerous city in Saudi Arabia. Bell’s workload, combined with the desert heat and a slew of illnesses, took its toll on her health. In the tributes following her death, she was praised for both her achievements and her personality by her British colleagues, and she was posthumously awarded the Order of the British Empire. Gertrude Margaret Lowthian Bell, CBE (14 July 1868 – 12 July 1926) was an English writer, traveller, political officer, administrator, spy and archaeologist who explored, mapped, and became highly influential to British imperial policy-making due to her knowledge and contacts, built up through extensive travels in Greater Syria, Mesopotamia, Asia Minor, and Arabia. With much of her time taken up by travelling, educational pursuits and pastimes she never married or had any children, although she did engage in an affair with a couple of individuals from the British colonial administration, one of whom sadly lost his life during World War One. ThoughtCo, Aug. 29, 2020, thoughtco.com/gertrude-bell-4691614. What Is the Difference Between Iran and Iraq? Gertrude Bell seems to have supported independence for the Arab regions, but did not take as much of a hard stand on it as Lawrence. Bell personally brought artifacts from her own collection and supervised excavations as well. Bell quickly became a bonafide adventurer, going mountaineering in Switzerland and developing fluency in several languages, including French, German, Persian, and Arabic (plus proficiency in Italian and Turkish). For Bell, this was only the beginning of over a decade of extensive travel. There is much de­bate on her de… Jessica Brain is a freelance writer specialising in history. In the same year she turned her attention towards another one of her passions, archaeology, a study which she had grown interested in on a trip to the ancient city of Melos in Greece. ThoughtCo. Both men in her life would have an important influence on her as she was exposed to an internationalism and deep intellectual discussions from a young age. It was here that she first made history as the first female to graduate in Modern History with a first class honours degree, completed in only two years. Her knowledge and decisions were trusted by some of the most important British government officials, helping to define a region as well as break new ground as a woman exerting power in the same sphere as her male counterparts. Mini Biography of Gertrude Bell Gertrude Bell was the first woman to graduate from Oxford University with a first class honours in history in 1888. She taught herself Farsi, the Iranian language, and travelled to Iran in 1892, where her uncle was British ambassador. Eventually this plan came to fruition and the British bore witness to the defeat of one of the most powerful all-encompassing empires of the last few centuries, the Ottoman Empire. Her involvement in the museum was destined to be her last project as she died from an overdose of sleeping pills in Baghdad in July 1926. The delegates of the Mespot Commission at the Cairo Conference. Her passion and increasing knowledge of history, archaeology and the culture of the region became increasingly evident as her final Arabian trip in 1913 took her 1800 miles across the peninsula, encountering some dangerous and hostile conditions. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/gertrude-bell-4691614. Her family's fortune had begun to decline due to the onset of post-WWI worker strikes in the UK and economic depression in Europe. The LIFE Picture Collection / Getty Images. In her report, “Self Determination in Mesopotamia,” she laid out her ideas about how the new leadership should work, based on her experience in the region and with its people. Despite the limitations placed on female students, Bell graduated with first-class honors in just two years, becoming one of the first two Oxford women to achieve those honors with a modern history degree (the other was her classmate Alice Greenwood). Fluent in Persian and Arabic, Bell worked for … Gertrude Bell led some impressive expeditions across the desert landscapes of the Middle East, but rarely was she without her baggage animals or a cart to carry her dinner service, provisions and equipment, and a servant (or two) to prepare her meals. Aside from her linguistic expertise, she also applied her passion for mountaineering, spending several summers scaling the Alps. This position was that of a mediator between the British and Arabs, leading to her publication, “Self-Determination in Mesopotamia”. Shortly afterwards, Bell began to indulge her passion for travel as she accompanied her uncle, Sir Frank Lascelles who was the British minister in Tehran, Persia. Despite this love of comfort, her awareness of threats would lead her to conceal guns underneath her dress just in case. Two years later, she shifted her focus to Mesopotamia, visiting and studying the ruins of ancient cities. Such was her impact that King Faisal arranged a military funeral for her and she was laid to rest in the British Civil Cemetery in Baghdad, a fitting tribute to a woman who had dedicated and spent much of her life absorbed in the culture and heritage of the Middle East. She became ill with pleurisy and, almost immediately after, her brother Hugh died of typhoid fever. Gertrude Bell (July 14, 1868 – July 12, 1926) was a British writer, politician, and archaeologist whose knowledge and travels in the Middle East made her a valuable and influential person in British administration of the region. Gertrude Bell was born in Washington, England, in the northeastern county of Durham. It is unknown whether the overdose was an inte… The British attempts to defeat the Ottoman Empire were significantly challenging, suffering numerous defeats, until that was, Lawrence launched his plan to recruit local Arabs in order to propel the Ottomans out of the region. Dearest Mother. In particular, her focus was the new creation of Iraq. Gertrude Bell was invited to speak at a promotional event for the public library in Baghdad in November 1919. Kuseir [Qusayr, Al]. Her family's fortune had started to … The Life of Gertrude Bell, English Explorer in Iraq. Yesterday morning was tolerably fine - at least it did not rain - so we set off at 8 on our way to Homs [Hims]. In 1925, she returned to England only to face a new set of problems. She suffered from recurrent bronchitis and began losing weight rapidly. On another occasion one of her intrepid journeys took her along the Euphrates River, allowing Bell to discover further ruins in Syria, documenting her discoveries with notes and photographs as she went. Copyright © Historic UK Ltd. Company Registered in England No. Her pioneering spirit would remain undeterred and she would soon apply her undaunted attitude to new ambitions, this time in the Middle East. After meeting the administrator Sir Frank Swettenham on a visit to Singapore, she kept up a correspondence with him, despite their 18-year age gap. When did she die? When World War I broke out, Bell tried to obtain a posting in the Middle East but was denied; instead, she volunteered with the Red Cross. In 1909 she left from Aleppo in Syria and traveled through the valley of the Euphrates River to Baghdad, visiting Babylonian sites along the way. https://www.thoughtco.com/gertrude-bell-4691614 (accessed January 23, 2021). During this time, she also witnessed the horrors of the Armenian genocide and wrote about it in her reports of the time. In the first of many tragedies and set-backs in her life, Gertrude’s mother died when she was 3. She subsequently served as the President of the Library Committee from 1921 to 1924. Bell never married or had any children, and only had a few known romantic attachments. Gertrude Bell became a crucial figure in the British Empire, a well-known traveller as well as writer, her in-depth knowledge of the Middle East proved to be her making. Perhaps that’s why she got a more influential seat at the table than Lawrence during the post-war partition of the Ottoman Empire. From/To: Gertrude Bell to her stepmother, Dame Florence Bell [25 February 1911] Sat. Gertrude Bell, United Kingdom (1868-1926) I lived in the Middle East for 12 years, and I greatly admire Gertrude Bell for traveling through the area’s formidable landscapes, embracing the culture, and being capable on so many levels. She taught Bell etiquette and decorum, but also encouraged her intellectual curiosity and social responsibility. In conjunction with her archaeological documentation she consulted with two archaeologists, one of whom was T.E. In addition to simply traveling, Bell continued some of her more daring expeditions. It was here that she visited the ruins of Ukhaidir and travelled on to Babylon before returning to Carchemish. Her family’s wealth, made mostly in industry, was in rapid decline, thanks to the combined effects of industrial worker strikes and economic depression across Europe. She advocated for Faisal bin Hussein to be named the first King of Iraq, and when he was installed in the post, she advised him on a wide variety of political matters and supervised the selection of his cabinet and other positions. She was Gertrude Bell (1868-1926), the privileged daughter of a well-established and massively influential iron-and-steel dynasty, and had she been made of less determined stuff her life might well have been one of steady and unchallenging leisure in the main with a side-line of progressive dabbling to cleanse the conscience and fill the hours between social visits. After British forces captured Baghdad in 1917, Bell was given the title of Oriental Secretary and ordered to assist in the restructuring of the area that had previously been the Ottoman Empire. She was born in July 1868 at Washington New Hall in County Durham, to a family that was purported to be the sixth richest family in the country. Gertrude Bell links through the work she carried out in Baghdad Curriculum areas covered: History, English, Maths, Geography, Computing, Design and Technology What we did to find out about our topic and create our exhibition: We visited Kirkleatham Museum because they had an exhibition about Gertrude Bell. Biography of Saddam Hussein, Dictator of Iraq, Middle East Gems of the Ancient and Modern World, Impacts of the Iraq War on the Middle East. On the morning of July 12, 1926, her maid discovered her dead, apparently of an overdose of sleeping pills. This is a black and white photograph which includes Winston Churchill (wearing sunglasses), Clementine Churchill, Gertrude Bell and T.E. In 1907 Bell returned to Asia Minor with the British archeologist Sir William Ramsay to help excavate early Christian churches. Only the beginning of over a decade of extensive travel UK Ltd. Company Registered in England No was... 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