what did gertrude bell discover

Despite this love of comfort, her awareness of threats would lead her to conceal guns underneath her dress just in case. Lawrence who at the time was an assistant to Reginald Campbell Thompson. Her grandfather Lowthian Bell owned steel mills and held the title of Baronet. 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. From/To: Gertrude Bell to her stepmother, Dame Florence Bell [8 March 1905] Wed. March 8. The delegates of the Mespot Commission at the Cairo Conference. Gertrude Bell was born in Washington, England, in the northeastern county of Durham. 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. 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 … 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. Fine Dining in the Desert with Gertrude Bell. Perhaps that’s why she got a more influential seat at the table than Lawrence during the post-war partition of the Ottoman Empire. Yesterday morning was tolerably fine - at least it did not rain - so we set off at 8 on our way to Homs [Hims]. The Life of Gertrude Bell, English Explorer in Iraq. As well as being an explorer, Gertrude Bell was a mountain climber. In 1907, Bell began working with archaeologist and scholar Sir William M. Ramsay. 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. When she recovered, she heard that her younger brother Hugo had died of typhoid. 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. When did she die? 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 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. As a woman seeking to fulfil her own ambitions she benefited enormously from the encouragement and financial backing of her family. In 1913, she became only the second foreign woman to journey to Ha’li, a notoriously unstable and dangerous city in Saudi Arabia. She taught Bell etiquette and decorum, but also encouraged her intellectual curiosity and social responsibility. 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. Unfortunately the brilliant life of Gertrude Bell came to a tragic conclusion in July 1926. On the morning of July 12, 1926, her maid discovered her dead, apparently of an overdose of sleeping pills. She gained the moniker "al-Khatun" among the Arab population, signifying a “Lady of the Court” who observes to serve the state. Prahl, Amanda. Gertrude Bell was invited to speak at a promotional event for the public library in Baghdad in November 1919. Gertrude Bell on the left, second row. Fluent in Persian and Arabic, Bell worked for … 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. In 1907 Bell returned to Asia Minor with the British archeologist Sir William Ramsay to help excavate early Christian churches. Aside from her linguistic expertise, she also applied her passion for mountaineering, spending several summers scaling the Alps. 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. 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. During her expeditions, she forged close relationships with locals and tribe leaders. 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. 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). 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. Bell was well-educated, first attending Queen’s College, then Lady Margaret Hall at Oxford University. Gertrude Bell on the left, second row. In addition to simply traveling, Bell continued some of her more daring expeditions. She developed a passion for archaeology and continued her interest in modern history and peoples. 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. On 12 July 1926, Bell was discovered to have overdosed on sleeping pills. There is much debate on her de… Discover. She climbed Mont Blanc, the highest peak in the Alps, and even had one peak, the Gertrudspitze, named after her in 1901. She reached the top of many peaks in the Alps, including Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn. It was to be a fruitful and valuable excavation uncovering a complex of halls, courtyards and living quarters, all stationed in a defensive position along a crucial ancient trading route. When Bell briefly re­turned to Britain in 1925, she faced fam­ily prob­lems and ill health. 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. They had a brief affair in 1904 after his return to England. 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. 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. 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. What Is the Difference Between Iran and Iraq? Whilst she lost her mother at a very young age, her father, Sir Hugh Bell, 2nd Baronet became an important mentor throughout her life. More significantly, she exchanged passionate love letters from 1913 until 1915 with Lieutenant Colonel Charles Doughty-Wylie, an army officer who was already married. 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. 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. It was this journey which became the focus of her book, “Persian Pictures”, containing a documented account of her travels. Along the way Bell was robbed of her money and, most importantly, her notebooks. In particular, her focus was the new creation of Iraq. 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