Gertrude Bell was a British explorer, writer, archeologist, and political officer who played a major role in the formation of the modern Middle East. Born into a wealthy family in 1868, Bell was educated at Oxford University and traveled extensively throughout the Middle East, becoming fluent in Arabic and Persian. She was a skilled photographer and cartographer, and her work helped to document the region's history and culture. During World War I, Bell worked for the British government as an intelligence officer and helped to establish the Arab Bureau, which played a key role in the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire. After the war, Bell was appointed as Oriental Secretary to the British High Commissioner for Iraq, and she played a major role in the establishment of the Iraqi state. Bell died in Baghdad in 1926 at the age of 57.