Gertrude Bell, CBE (1868-1926) was an English writer, traveller, administrator, and archaeologist in the Middle East who advocated for independent Arab states in the Middle East and helped establish the Hashemite dynasty in modern-day Jordan and Iraq.
Bell travelled around the world twice (1897-1898 and 1902-1903) and developed a particular interest in Syria-Palestine, Mesopotamia, Asia Minor, and Arabia, where she continually returned throughout her life. She was a prolific writer and published multiple books. The consistent letters she sent back to England impacted government policy in an era when few English people were familiar with the contemporary Middle East.
She later became a powerful force in Iraqi politics, helping place the Hashemite ruler Fayṣal I on the throne of Iraq in 1921.
She devoted her later years to archaeology; she established an archaeological museum in Baghdad and wrote legislation in Iraq to ensure that antiquities stayed in their country of origin. Her systems helped preserve Iraqi culture and history.
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