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"Letters from Baghdad" is the story of a true original, Gertrude Bell, sometimes called the female “Lawrence of Arabia.” More influential and famous in her day than her colleague Lawrence, Bell was an explorer, spy, archaeologist and diplomat who helped shape the Middle East after World War I and established the Iraq Museum, infamously ransacked in 2003.

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Letters from Baghdad
Gertrude Bell Arrives in Constantinople
Gertrude Bell arrives in Constantinople on May 20, 1914.
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Letters from Baghdad
The Cairo Conference with Churchill, Bell and T.E. Lawrence
Winston Churchill, Gertrude Bell, T.E. Lawrence, and others meet at the Cairo Conference.
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Letters from Baghdad
Gertrude Bell Meets the Howeitat Tribe
On her journey to Hail in 1914, Gertrude Bell meets the Howeitat Tribe.
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Latest Episodes
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Letters from Baghdad
Letters from Baghdad
Explore the story of Gertrude Bell, an explorer, spy, archaeologist and diplomat.
Episode: S1 E1 | 1:25:15
Extras
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Letters from Baghdad
A Fandango in the British Press About Bell's White Paper
Gertrude Bell discusses the fandango about her groundbreaking report.
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Letters from Baghdad
The End of the Cairo Conference at the Pyramids
The end of the Cairo Conference of 1921 is held at the Egyptian Pyramids.
Clip: 0:52
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Letters from Baghdad
Questioning British Occupation in Iraq
Gertrude Bell questions the British occupation of Iraq in 1917.
Clip: 1:02
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Letters from Baghdad
A Visit to Babylon
Gertrude Bell returns to the archaeological site of Babylon in 1918.
Clip: 0:51
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Letters from Baghdad
The Outcome of the Paris Peace Conference
Gertrude Bell is apprehensive toward the outcome of the Paris Peace Conference in 1916.
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Letters from Baghdad
Preview
Explore the story of Gertrude Bell, sometimes called the female “Lawrence of Arabia."
Preview: 0:30
Watch • 0:59
Letters from Baghdad
Gertrude Bell Muses About the River Tigris
In a letters to her parents, Gertrude describes the beauty of the Tigris River at dusk.
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