This was the woman who formed modern Iraq, but she was erased from history... ( Photo)

Since the legend of Lawrence of Arabia is known by the whole world, you can be forgiven if you haven't heard of Getrude Bell.

Lost a story, her tale is extraordinary.

Bell was an explorer in the Middle East. She was a graduate, cartographer, photographer, a climber, and spoke some foreign languages.

In 1921 it established the borders of modern Iraq and worked for the country's first king, Emir Faisal.

The Letters from Baghdad is a BBC documentary that traces its history through personal letters, accompanied by spectacular images of the forgotten Middle East and the wonderful voice of Tilda Swiss.

Born in 1868, Getrude Bell was raised in Durham and was the daughter of a wealthy deputy and ambassador. Her mother died when she was three.

After she became the first woman to start her studies on modern history at Oxford, she developed a strong approach to the Middle East, influenced by her uncle's visit, while he was Britain's ambassador to Tehran.

She wanted to get rid of the social restrictions in England”, yet “had interest and encouragement from her father all the way”, explains Zeva Oebalum, producer of the documentary.

Bell spent about 20 years of his life traveling, learning Farsi, Arabic, and tribal. She has been the first woman to travel 1,500 miles per four months.

She wrote some books while traveling, describing in an unprecedented way in the region. These unwittingly documented local concerns for the shrinking Ottoman Empire.

They believed she was a spy, especially when she started writing books. ”

Bell was eventually recruited by British Intelligence in 1915 and was the only female diplomat to attend the Paris Peace Conference in 1919.

lobbiing hard for an Arab state, Bell played a major role in the extraction of modern Iraq's borders by three Ottoman provinces.

She defended Amyn Faisal, a war hero and descendant of Muhammad, as King and after his successful crown, he became one of Britain's top officials.

She was erased from history because she was a woman. When men do this job, it shows up, and when a woman writes memories, she's completely marginalized by”, it saves Oeblaum.

Someone who sees in a picture sitting between Winston Churchill and T. E Lawrence and no one has ever heard of him. How is that possible?

Fortunately, her story survived by the letters she left.

Bell established schools for Muslim girls and established funds for the women's hospital. He also defended women's culture and rights.

According to historians, her only mistake was favouring Kurdistan involvement in Iraq.

She preferred that the Sunni would be in control of the country, even though the sales were many. It was very open to cultures and was considered a champion of tolerance.