Routine maintenance is scheduled to take place 26/04/2024 23:00 - 27/04/2024 08:00, some images on the site may not load during this time.

Explore the archive

Browse and search photographs, letters, and diaries from the archive of archaeologist and political diplomat Gertrude Bell, comprising over 12,000 unique records.

Explorer, writer, archaeologist, and colonial diplomat Gertrude Bell (1868 - 1926) witnessed and recorded events of significant geopolitical importance throughout her life. The role she played in these events and her experiences of travelling throughout Europe, East Asia and the Middle East in the early 20th century are documented within her extensive archive, held at Newcastle University.

This website contains a comprehensive and unique resource of newly digitised images of Bell’s photographs, letters, and diary entries, presented alongside transcriptions and other contextual information. In 2017, the archive was added to UNESCO’s International Memory of the World register in recognition of its global significance as a heritage resource. 

The development of this resource has been made possible by the Gertrude Bell and the Kingdom of Iraq at 100 project, facilitated by generous funding from the Harry and Alice Stillman Family Foundation. This website will continue to be developed and updated, and we would greatly appreciate input and feedback. If you have any comments or corrections, please get in touch.