Gertrude Bell, 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗤𝗨𝗘𝗘𝗡 𝗢𝗙 𝗔𝗥𝗔𝗕𝗜𝗔

 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗤𝗨𝗘𝗘𝗡 𝗢𝗙 𝗔𝗥𝗔𝗕𝗜𝗔 👑🐫 🌴

Gertrude Bell, the female Lawrence of Arabia. Born into a wealthy English family, Gertrude was privileged and blessed with an exceptional education, culminating in a First class degree in Modern History from the University of Oxford. She was the first woman to have ever attained this achievement. Then in 1892, aged 24 - Gertrude left England and headed over to Persian on a vivid adventure. She fell in love with Tehran and was captivated by the culture, atmosphere and encounters. She read Persian poetry and sat on fine Persian carpets while making connections with fellow aristocratics and adventurers. Gertrude would eventually travel to other regions, encountering Bedouins, Sheikhs and natives of Iraq and Syria - all the while cultivating her knowledge and expertise in local Arab customs and history. These skills would prove invaluable to the British administrators in the Middle East. Not surprisingly, Gertrude was soon enlisted to serve the British administrators in Mesopotamia and became a key and trusted advocate of British interests across regions such as Iraq and Syria. Like Lawrence, she was very well versed in Arabic customs, codes and developments. She was often referred to as the uncrowned queen of Iraq for having orchestrated the appointment of Faisal Ibn Hussein as king of Iraq following the decline of the Ottoman Empire. Gertrude is a very prominent figure in contemporary Middle Eastern history for her massive influence and role in shaping modern Arab states. She supported Arab Nationalism and was a participant in virtually all the major conferences and negotiations following WW1. A really interesting character, her mention cannot be spared when dissecting and delving into the history and development of modern Arab nations. If we do not take an interest and commitment to studying our history, others certainly will