ABSTRACT
Using her extensive knowledge of and respect for Arab culture, Gertrude Bell helped to establish the states of the modern Middle East. In 1886 Bell entered Oxford University, a rarity for a woman at the time, and obtained high honors upon graduation in 1888. Bells independence and education did not exemplify the ideal of the late-Victorian-era woman. In 1892, Bell embarked on a second education, a 13-year rotation between Britain, the mountains of Switzerland, and the broad deserts of the Near and Middle East. In September 1914, Bell filed her first report with the Foreign Office on the political relationships between the various Arab factions. As an Arab expert, Gertrude Bell was one of the main contributors to the creation of the modern states of the Middle East. As a woman, she was a model of activism, independence, and learning for women around the world.
