SPEAKER_00: This bonus episode is brought to you by NURTEC ODT Remedipant.
Hey listeners, it's Jenny. For the rest of 2023, we have a special treat for you. A holiday gift, if you will.
We're bringing you an extra episode each week for the next eight weeks, brought to you by NURTEC ODT.
These episodes will feature amazing women who were too often underestimated or underappreciated.
Still, they took control of their lives, overcoming hurdles to accomplish big things. These bonus episodes are sponsored by NURTEC ODT. Thanks again to our partners at NURTEC. Now, on to the show.
From Wonder Media Network, I'm Jenny Kaplan, and this is Womanica.
This month we're pulling back the curtain to reveal women overlooked in their own lifetimes or in our historical accounts of the eras in which they lived.
We're talking about the activists, thinkers, leaders, artists, and innovators histories long forgotten.
Queen of the Desert and the Female Lorens of Arabia are just a couple of the names attributed to today's Womanican.
She was instrumental in shaping geopolitics of the Middle East and advocating for independent Arab states.
Let's talk about Gertrude Bell.
Gertrude Bell was born on July 14, 1868, in England.
Her early life was marked by privilege and education. Her family was wealthy, and her father often engaged in intellectual conversations with her.
Gertrude's stepmother said that when she wasn't reading or writing, she found herself in naughty behaviors, like climbing cliffs or scaling heights.
This fearlessness would follow Gertrude throughout her life.
Gertrude studied at Queen's College in London and later at Lady Margaret Hall at Oxford, where she was the first woman to get a first-class degree in modern history.
Gertrude continued her intellectual pursuits after college.
In 1892, Gertrude traveled to Persia, in modern-day Iran, with her uncle.
This trip would inspire her first travel book, Persian Pictures.
In the coming years, she continued her adventures.
She traveled to Italy and then Switzerland, where her past climbing skills were put to use.
When a blizzard caught her expedition by surprise, she survived for nearly two days clinging to a rope on the side of a cliff.
Gertrude traveled the world, visiting Jerusalem, Syria, France, China, Egypt, Greece, and Turkey. Each stop deepened Gertrude's intellectual well.
She honed her linguistic skills, becoming fluent in Arabic and Persian.
She studied archaeology and immersed herself in tribal politics and local customs.
She also kept detailed photographic and physical accounts of her trips, publishing multiple works through the years.
Gertrude's archaeological interest took her to the region of Mesopotamia, now part of modern-day Iraq.
It was an important visit for her. She visited various ruins and settlements, writing some of the first in-depth documentations of these historic sites.
During this trip, she met famed archaeologist T.E. Lawrence, who'd later be immortalized in the film Lawrence of Arabia.
Gertrude's studies came to a halt when World War I began.
England entered the war on the side of the Allied forces in August of 1914.
A few months later, the Ottoman Empire joined the fight on the side of the Central Powers.
Gertrude volunteered for the British Red Cross.
Her extensive knowledge of the Arab world and her influential network of contacts made her an invaluable asset to the British.
Her books were even used as guides for the troops.
By 1917, Gertrude was serving as an intelligence officer for the British government,
providing the colonial officials with her local knowledge and expertise.
When British forces took Baghdad, Gertrude was appointed secretary to the area's British commissioner,
acting as a liaison between the British and the local Arab population.
Her knowledge got her an invite to the 1921 Cairo Conference on British Policy in the Middle East.
There, she argued for Arab self-determination.
Specifically, Gertrude argued that Iraq should be able to govern itself.
She was instrumental in the country's formation, the creation of its borders, and engineering its leadership. She was also fascinated by antiquities.
She worked to ensure artifacts found in Iraq would remain in the country.
She turned her efforts towards founding the National Museum in Baghdad.
It finally opened in 1926.
The museum would be Gertrude Bell's last major project.
On July 12, 1926, Gertrude was found dead after a suspected overdose of sleeping pills.
She was laid to rest in Baghdad.
Gertrude's legacy lives on through the Gertrude Bell Archive at Newcastle University, which preserves her personal papers, letters, photographs, and documents.
All month, we're talking about women behind the curtain.
For more information, find us on Facebook and Instagram, at Womanica Podcast.
Special thanks to Liz Kaplan, my favorite sister and co-creator.
Talk to you on Monday!
