Gertrude Margaret Lowthian Bell By Lily

Who was she English writer Traveler Political officer Archaeologist Administrator

Family background She was born on July 14, 1868, in Durham, England. Grandfather: Sir Isaac Lowthian Bell. He was an industrialist and a liberal member of parliament, and he worked with Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeil. Mother: Mary Shield Bell She died when Gertrude was 3 years old and left her brother Maurice. Stepmother: Florence Bell. She married with Bell’s father when Bell was 7. After that Gertrude had 3 half sibling

Education Early in life, she went to Queen’s College in London, then later studied at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford University when she was 17. She studied modern history, and was the first woman who graduated with a first class honors degree, and that took her only two years. She had become fluent in Arabic, Persian, French and German, also she spoke Italian and Turkish.

In her lifetime, she didn’t get married with anyone.

War and political career During World War One, she volunteered with the Red Cross in France. In there, she worked with the famous British traveler TE Lawrence and tried to from an agreement with the Arab tribes. In her travels, Bell had created close relationships with the members in Middle East. In addition, she visited the chambers of wives of tribe leaders. She was the only woman who had political power and influence in the formulation of the Middle East.

Final Years She went back to United Kingdom at 1925. As the British workers stroked after World War One, the European economy decreased, and her family wealth began to decline. She returned to Baghdad and soon developed pleurisy. Then her brother died of typhoid fever. On July 12th, 1926, she was found dead.

Greatest Accomplishments She made a great influence over British imperial policy. Her extensive travels in Greater Syria, Mesopotamia, Asia Minor, and Arabia made her an expert in both the languages and the cultures of these regions. Along with T. E. Lawrence, Gertrude Bell helped establish the Hashemite dynasties in what is today Jordan as well as in Iraq. She was important in establishing and helping administer the modern state of Iraq, utilizing her unique perspective from her travels and relations with tribal leaders throughout the Middle East. During her lifetime, she was highly trusted and respected by the British officials and given a huge amount of power for a woman at that time.

WRITINGS A Woman in Arabia The Desert and the Sown

Queen of the Desert This is a movie filmed in 2015. It’s based on the life of Gertrude Bell. It follows Bell’s life chronologically, from her early life till her death.

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