Lecture Date: March 12, 2026
The Coldwell Banker Elite Lecture
Gertrude Bell’s years in 1920s Iraq marked the height of a remarkable life that bridged cultures and shaped nations. After a privileged upbringing and rigorous education, she devoted herself to exploring and understanding the Middle East, beginning with her travels through Arabia just prior to World War I.
Following the outbreak of the war, Bell served in the Cairo Bureau, worked closely with T.E. Lawrence, and held key intelligence positions in Mesopotamia, first in Basra and later in Baghdad, where she became chief intelligence agent for the British.
With the end of the war came the Cairo Conference in 1921, and her importance in the creation of the new country of Iraq: her role as friend and mentor to Prince Faisal politically and personally; her crucial work introducing him to the most powerful desert sheiks and influential townsmen; teaching him the protocols of running a government; gaining the overwhelming vote on the British referendum in favor of Faisal and his crowning moment on the throne of Iraq.
Through all of this, whether in England or the Middle East, Gertrude Bell experienced the dismissive, demoralizing attitudes of men towards women. Yet, confident in her own abilities, she was determined to win recognition for her work. She succeeded brilliantly, acknowledged by the Arabs as an “honorary man” and known throughout the world as an extraordinary Person.
Speaker: Janet Wallach
Janet Wallach is the author of ten books and has written extensively about influential women. Her latest, Flirting with Danger, is about Marguerite Harrison, the American socialite who became a spy for the U.S. during World War I.
Desert Queen; The Extraordinary Life of Gertrude Bell, published by Nan A. Talese/Doubleday (1996), has been translated into twelve languages and was a New York Times notable book of the year. The New York Times Sunday Book Review said, “Ms. Wallach is an expert on the region and her knowledge is on full display here.” The San Francisco Chronicle called it “necessary reading for anyone interested in the Middle East.” It was nominated best book of the year by Elle Magazine.
Wallach is the author of Chanel: Her Style and Her Life (Nan A. Talese/Doubleday), the story of the 20th-century’s most important female fashion designer, and The Richest Woman in America: Hetty Green in the Gilded Age, published by Nan A. Talese/Doubleday, a biography of the eccentric 19th-century financial genius Hetty Green. In addition, her book, Seraglio, is an historical novel that takes place in the harem at Topkapi Palace, Istanbul. She is also the co-author of three books on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict: Still Small Voices; Arafat: In The Eyes of the Beholder; and The New Palestinians. An abiding interest in the Middle East led to her role as a founding director and, later, President of Seeds of Peace. Started in 1993 by her late husband, John Wallach, this award-winning non-profit organization brings together outstanding young people from regions of conflict and provides them with the leadership tools necessary for creating positive change.
Speaker: Nabil S. Al-Tikriti
Nabil Al-Tikriti, Professor of Middle East History at the University of Mary Washington, earned his Ph.D. (2004) in Ottoman history from the University of Chicago; MIA (1990) from Columbia University; and BSFS (1988) in Arab Studies from Georgetown University. He also lived and studied in Egypt and Turkey. Al-Tikriti served on several occasions in multiple conflict zones as a deputy head of mission, context analyst, liaison officer, administrator, and logistician for Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF-Doctors Without Borders). He has also served as an election observer for multiple elections since 1997 for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). Dr. Al-Tikriti’s publications on Middle East, Ottoman, and Iraqi history and society can be viewed here.