Turning away from privileged Victorian Britain, Gertrude Bell explored, mapped and excavated the world of the Arabs, winning the trust of Arab sheiks and chieftains along the way. When the First World War erupted and the British needed the loyalty of Arab leaders, Gertrude Bell provided the intelligence for T. E. Lawrence's military activities. After the war, she played a major role in creating the modern Middle East, and was generally considered to be the most powerful woman in the British Emp ...