The Traces of Gertrude Bell

My first day in the desert, I felt that same spirit Gertrude Bell spoke about. There, where infinity encounters eternity, I felt my innermost being arising. My soul was growing wings and started to talk to the whispering wind of the desert. A silent understanding, a companionship between nature and human spirit captured me behind the ochre-colored dunes, under the blue tent of the sky.

Gertrude was an amazing woman in so many different ways. Born into Victorian England in 1868, she was an English archaeologist, writer, cartographer, administrator, political officer, world traveller, mountaineer and spy. She was a woman pioneer in all of these fields, working with the most well known men of her time. Not only was she a close and trusted friend of T.E. Lawrence, later known as Lawrence of Arabia, she also worked along side Winston Churchill, who was the Minister of Munitions at the time. The Vice King of India, Charles Harding, who once asked for Gertrude's hand in marriage, took note of her advice. The same is true for the most important Arab leaders of that time.

She was most probably the first inter-cultural consultant. She explored the desert in ways no man or woman had dared before her. In the course of 12 years, she travelled 6 times across the deserts of Arabia.

How many desert animals must have wondered about this green-eyed red-head who took her evening bath in the middle of the Arabian Desert? Staying true to her Victorian upbringing, she took a bath every evening and travelled with a truss of loyal servants who greatly admired her. 

Against the advice of the British and Ottoman government, she explored the partly unknown deserts of Iraq and the Golf of Nedschd. She travelled in greater Syria, Mesopotamia, Asia Minor, and Arabia. Gertrude was bold and fearless but always polite. Her language skills and inter-cultural knowledge made her a welcome guest in any desert tent. She spoke Persian, Arabic, French, German, Italian and Turkish - along with her native tongue, English.

Her accomplishments and tireless work did not go unnoticed. The Arab tribes gave her the title “al –Khatun,“ meaning a Lady of the Court who keeps an open eye and ear for the benefit of the State.

She was the only female political officer in the British forces and was given the title “Liaison Officer, Correspondent to Cairo.” The British administration also gave her the political title “Oriental Secretary.”

The Arab tribes would accept her in meetings, which by cultural understanding were exclusively attended by men. They solved the problem by giving her the title "Man by Honor."

Gertrude was a woman who impressed everybody around her, even though most people, especially some of the British officers, were annoyed by having to work with a woman. Nevertheless, these men could not ignore her expertise and connection which allowed her to influence the leaders in the Arab world just as much as the politicians of Great Britain. 

She met many of the Seikh's during her expeditions; men who were used to a rough life in the merciless sun-torched desert. They were survivors of the many conflicts and wars between the tribes. Abu Taiji, leader of the tribe of the Howeitat, Bahad Bei ibn Adhdha and Faisal Beg were always attending to Gertrude like a queen when she manifested out of the desert dust. Nothing could stop her tireless effort for history and humanity – neither harsh weather conditions, nor war. 

Gertrude rode a dromedary (also known as an Arabian camel) along with her servants and looked nothing short of astonishing. Greeting everybody with a friendly smile she asked for shelter and was met with the legendary hospitality of the Middle East and Arabia.

In the shadow of the desert tent, sweet tea was poured and gifts exchanged. She chatted over the political situations of the region, brought news about the Western world and got, in exchange, valid information about the tribes and their involvement in the region from the Sheiks in the Arabian Desert. Their common idea of freedom for all people and love for the desert was a strong bond that could not be broken.  

The outbreak of the First World War required Gertrude to work alongside T.E. Lawrence for the secret service in Cairo. While Lawrence was responsible for the technical data, Gertrude was the cataloguist who assisted in the understanding of different tribes in the Middle East and Arabia. Following her advice, political ties could be built and became useful during the war with the Ottoman Empire.

After the war, the Ottoman Empire was dismantled and new borders needed to be drawn; Gertrude was once more the expert who had the necessary data and experience for the task. Facing much opposition from the military, she made valid decisions for the political organization of the region.

In 1921, during the Cairo Conference, the political and geographic structure of the Middle East was determined. Under her and Lawrence’s leadership, the Kings Abdullah Transjordan and Faisal Iraq were established. They were brothers and the sons of Hussein bin ali Sharif and Emir of Mecca. The borders were drawn out, including all forces in the region.

Some may say that it is because of not having included the Shia tribes as much as the Sunnite leaders that there is the current conflict in the Middle East and Arabia. Gertrude and her team did take these facts into consideration when aiming to find the best solution for the region.  

King Faisal the I. was a Sunnite Sheik with a direct lineage to Muhammad and Gertrude believed that he could unite the different tribes of the region regardless of their inter-faith differences.

 In my opinion, she made the best possible choices under the circumstances she encountered at that time. The Ottoman Empire was dismantled but all the administrational structures were still in place and they offered themselves to be reused for the new state. It is merely impossible to dismantle an entire administrational superstructure without losing the possibility of effectively building a new administration.

King Faisal was the first King of Iraq and respected and honored Gertrude as long as she lived. They founded the Archaeological Museum together and King Faisal paid attention to Gertrude’s advice for local questions about geography and business. She also advised him for the repartition of leadership posts and decisions for the new government.

The King of Iraq honored Gertrude Bell by attending her funeral along with her colleagues and British officials.

Gertrude was a brilliant, hard-working woman. Some say she took her own life with an overdose of sleeping pills. I highly doubt that. She was already weak because of her pleurisy, which is a painful lung disease, and her body just could not take the sleeping pills on top of it. She fought her whole life and never gave up and it is unlikely that she did then. My opinion is supported by the fact that Gertrude asked her maid to wake her up the next morning.

 However, I bow my head to Gertrude. She truly was a woman who used her skills and talents to make an impact on society. She was a tough lady without ever losing her countenance. Gertrude lost the first love of her life to an accident and the second one to war. Nevertheless, her hunger for adventure and science remained unstained by tragedy. She teaches me to keep my vision alive and never to cease striving for excellence. I acknowledge that one can find some controversy in her biography but I admire her for standing by her beliefs, fighting for them against all odds, and her conviction about how women in the early 20th century ought to live.