The Desert and the Sown: The Syrian Adventures of the Female Lawrence of Arabia

by Gertrude Bell, Rosemary O'Brien (Introduction)

A seeming contradiction, Gertrude Bell was both a proper Victorian and an intrepid explorer of the Arabian wilderness. She was a close friend of T. E. Lawrence, and played an important role in creating the modern map of the Middle East after World War I. The Desert and the Sown is a chronicle, illustrated by over 160 photos, of Bell's 1905 journey from Jericho to Antioch, a land of warring tribes under Turkish control.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, History, Middle East, Biography, Adventure, Memoir

368 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1907

About the author

Gertrude Margaret Lowthian Bell, CBE was an English writer, traveller, political officer, administrator, and archaeologist.

Reviews

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm way late getting to any kind of review on this, so things have faded a bit, so I'll keep it short. I really liked Bell's voice in this. She's an excellent writer. I found this title after being put-off by a Penguin title, A Woman in Arabia: The Writings of the Queen of the Desert. That title, I believe, was meant to accompany a recent Werner Herzog movie on Bell. The movie bombed. The book was structured in such as show the many facets of Bell's personality. Poet, explorer, linguist, etc. By going down that road of snippets, those too brief glimpses never really allowed for Bell's voice to truly emerge.

In "The Desert and the Sown," Bell's voice does indeed emerge, and it's quite impressive. The book is about Bell's 1905 journey from Jericho to Antioch, with lots of stops and ruin crawling along the way. Whether it be her travelling companions, meals, the landscape and weather, or the various ruins themselves, Bell's eye for detail and precise but also eloquent phrasing, capture the reader's imagination. It's a different Syria than the current bloodstained version. Some of the ruins Bell describes have been destroyed by ISIS. Others are in danger. Such books, in the age of Google, are really enhanced by quick searches to view the sights described.

Note: The version of "Desert and Sown" is available as free Kindle download. There were no pictures, and a some typos, but nothing too annoying.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Free download available at Project Gutenberg

He deems the Wild the sweetest of friends, and travels on
where travels above him the Mother of all the clustered stars

TA'ABATA SHARRAN

From Wikipedia:
In this book she described, photographed and detailed her trip to Greater Syria's towns and cities such as Damascus, Jerusalem, Beirut, Antioch and Alexandretta. Bell's vivid descriptions revealed the Arabian deserts to the western world. In March 1907, Bell journeyed to the Ottoman Empire and began to work with Sir William M. Ramsay, an archaeologist and New Testament scholar. Their excavations in Binbirkilise were chronicled in A Thousand and One Churches.

I made the proofing of this book for Free Literature and Project Gutenberg will publish it.

[Wafaa Golden · Rating 5 out of 5]

العامر والغامر..
رحلة من القدس إلى أنطاكية عام 1905م
تأليف: غرترود بل..
تحرير وتعليق: د. أحمد إيبش
سلسلة روّاد المشرق
هيئة أبو ظبي للثقافة والتّراث.

- "يا عبادي إني حرمت الظلم على نفسي وجعلته بينكم مُحرَّماً فلا تظالموا"..
- الأمور ليست بالعشوائيّة التي يظنّها البعض.. هناك ربٌّ عادل ومنقم جبّار..
- إذا صحّ منك الهوى أُرشِدت للحيَل..
- سورية البلد العريق قديمة قِدم التّاريخ..
- من مأمنه يؤتى الحَذِر.. والكثير يعرفون من أين تؤكل الكتف..

عبارت وتداعيات جالت في بالي وفكري وأنا أقرأ هذا الكتاب القيّم..
كلّ عبارة منها كانت بسبب إحدى الفقرات أو الفصول..
عندما يغيب ربّ البيت يلهو الأولاد..
بلد عريق كسوريا.. أخذ سكّانها سِنة من النّوم أطمعت فيهم من حولهم ودفعتهم للمجيء إليهم ليردّوا تارات قديمة كانت بينهم..
يتحدّث الكتاب عن رحلة أشهر رحّالة جالت في بلادنا العربيّة وكان لها دور كبير مخفي في توجيه سياساته.. إلى أن وصلنا إلى ما وصلنا إليه..
لستُ من أنصار فكرة المؤامرة ولكن أؤمن وبشدّة أنّ من يضع لنفسه هدفاً ويبذل له وسعه سيناله دون ريب..
مصداقاً لقوله تعالى: "كلّاً نمدّ هؤلاء وهؤلاء من عطاء ربّك وما كان عطاء ربّك محظوراً"
فسنّـة الله تعالى في كونه لا تحابي أحداً..
اعملوا وستنالون نتيجة جهدكم..
بعد أن نعمت بلاد المسلمين بالحضارة والعلم والازدهار في شتّى جوانب الحياة ..
أصابتها ما يصيب كلّ البلاد من الدّورة الطّبيعيّة من النّهوض إلى القمّة ومن ثمّ الرّكود..
ولكن للأسف طالت مدّة هذا الرّكود ممّا أطمع الجوار والأعداء..
فوجدوها لقمة سائغة هنيّة.. بدأوا ينهشون فيها.. بعد أن عرفوا من أين تؤتى الكتف..
كانوا يرسلون هؤلاء الأشخاص تحت مسمّيات رحّالة.. وكانوا يتمتّعون بثقافة عالية أو لنقل جيّدة.. ويعلمون تماماً عن ماذا يبحثون وماذا يريدون..
ووجدوا أشخاصاً بسطاء أمّيين تكاد تأكلهم النّزاعات الدّاخليّة والتّارات فيما بينهم والعلاقات المتوتّرة مع السّلطات العليا والحرب العالميّة، بالإضافة لانبهارهم بكلّ ما هو أجنبي..
فكأنّهم أعطوهم ما يريدون على طبق من ذهب..

أمّا ما ذكرته من موضوع الظّلم..
فالمستعرض لتلك التّفصيلات التي وردت في يوميّات (بل) يرى الظّلم الذي كان يقع على الفلّاحين على يد الإقطاعيين.. وهذا لن يضيع عند ربّنا سبحانه.. فجاء من اقتلع تلك الأراضي والضياع من ملّاكها وكأنّهم أثراً بعد عين.. فالدّيّـان لا يموت ولا يضيع عنده مثقال ذرّة من خير أو شرّ..

من مأمنه يؤتى الحَـذِرُ:
بلاد غنيّة فيها من الكنوز والخيرات ما ندر أن يجتمع في غيرها.. ولكن غفلة وجهل جعلتها لقمة سائغة لكلّ مشتهٍ..
وسأورد لكم ما ذكرته الكاتبة: (.. وليس من مهمّة المتجوّلين أو سامعي الشّائعات أن يستخلصوا النّتائج.. وليس بإمكاننا سوى كتابة التّقرير لأيّ شخص يهتمّ أن يستمع لما يقوله هؤلاء الذين يجلسون حول نيران مخيّمنا، أو من يسيرون معنا عبر الصّحاري والجبال، حيث أنّ كلماتهم تشبه القـشّ الذي يطفو على فيض السّياسات الآسيوية مظهِـراً سير التّـيّـار.. وتتعرف عليهم الخبرة الشّخصيّة من خلال البضائع التي يتاجرون بها.... بالنّسبة للحظة الرّاهنة وحسب المدى الذي وصلت إليه خبرتي، فإنّ اسم الإنكليز يحمل ثقلاً أكثر ممّا كان عليه في أيّ وقت مضى..)
(كان كلامه عن اليمن، حيث كان قد أُرسِل قبل بضع سنوات ليعيد السّلام بعد الثّورة العربيّة الأخيرة، تحدّث عن الجبال الدّاخليّة المغطاة بالأشجار.. وعن عناقيد العنب.. وعن التّنوّع اللّانهائي للفواكه في البساتين.. وعن المدن الكبيرة مثل دمشق المحاطة بتحصينات طينيّة ضخمة تعود لألف سنة.. قال إنّ العرب كانوا سكّان مدن وليسوا بدواً، وقد كرهوا الحكومة العثمانيّة كما هي مكروهة في عـدّة أماكن، وعندما خرجت جنود السّلطان ضدّهم كانوا معتادين على الفرار إلى الجبال، حيث يستطيعون تحمّل المكوث فيها عدداً غير محدّد من السّنين..)
وهذا بعض من كلّ عدا بعض الفقرات التي قالت: أتحفّظ عن ذكر ما جرى من حوار بيني وبين فلان..
للأسف بلاد غنيّـة عريقة تنهشها النّزاعات الدّاخليّة السيّاسيّة ويتوّج ذلك كلّه جهل مستحكم..
أدى إلى أن جعل بلادنا العريقة لقمة هانئة تلوكها أفواههم حتّى وصلنا إلى ما وصلنا إليه.. بداية باتّفاقيّة سايكس بيكو وتجسيدها على الواقع بعد أن كانت حبراً على الورق.. ومروراً بمأساة فلسطين وانتهاء بما نعيشه اليوم للأسف..
مسلسل بـدأ ولمّا ينتهي..

أمّا بالنّسبة للعراقة فماذا يمكن أن يقال عن سورية التّاريخ.. وهل من بلد يضاهيها!!
لذا سأذكر بعض ما ورد:
(- اكتشف موسى قبراً جديداً مفتوحاً قرب الكنيسة، لاقيتُ بعض الصّعوبة في الزّحف للأسفل إلى داخله، قد كوفئتُ عندما وجدتُ على إحدى الفجوات الجداريّة loculi التّاريخ 292 من تقويم أنطاكية، الذي يوافق سنة 243 للميلاد، وأسفل التّـاريخ كانت هناك ثلاثة أسطر من نقش يوناني، مشوّه جـدّاَ..
- يعلن بتلر Butler في تقريره بأنّ هذه الكنيسة مؤرّخة بـ 372 للميلاد، والذي يعطيها امتيازاً في كونها الكنيسة الأقدم تأريخاً في سوريا، إن لم تكن الكنيسة الأقدم تأريخاً في العالم)..
وهذا غيض من فيض..
يا ترى ما مصير تلك الأوابد اليوم بعد الدّمار الذي حلّ بالبلد من شماله لجنوبه..
لا شكّ أن أغلب – إذا لم أقل كلّ – الآثار والمنحوتات التي ذكرتها قد وجد مكانه في متاحف الغرب من زمن غابر.. ولكن أقصد ما تبقّى من أوابد لم يستطيعوا حملها أو اختلاسها..

أمّا ما ذكرتُه عن الظّلم..
فكما هو معروف كان نظام الإقطاع هو السّـائد تقريباً وكم لاقى الفلّاح المسكين من ظلم مالكه..
وقد ذكرت قصّة إقطاعي متكـبّر ظالم وكيف كانت معاملته لفـلاح عنده دون رحمة..
(جلسنا أخيراً إلى مائدة مليئة بأشهى المأكولات السّوريّة اللّـذيذة، وقليلة هي المطابخ التي تستطيع أن تنافس السّـوريين في أفضل ما لديها. تكلّم الآغـا وأكل بنفس الشّهيّـة، مُقـدّماً طبقـاً إثر آخر لضيوفه.. وعندما كانت الوليمة في أوجها قدم خادم وقال إنّ هناك فلاحاً يرغب أن يتكلّم معه.. قال الآغـا بلا مبالاة: "دعه يدخل!" ظهر فـلّاح رثّ الثياب عند المدخل وحـدّق بعينين نصف حزينتين خائفتين من الجماعة ومن الوفرة في الوجبات اللّـذيذة.
بـدأ كلامه: السّلام عليك يا آغـا!"
ولكن ما إن شاهد الآغا المتوسِّـل حـتّى نهض على قدميه في نوبة غضب شديد.. احمرّ وجهه وجحظت عيناه الحقودتان من رأسه وضرب االطّاولة بقيضته المطبقة عندما صرخ: "انصرف! لعنة الله عليك وعلى نسلك، ويخرب بيت أبيك! انصرف، أقول لك، وأحضر المال، أو سوف أرسلك إلى السّجن مع زوجتك وعائلتك، وسوف تعاني من الجوع هناك حتّى تموت". قال الرّجل بكرامة وقفت في وجه غضب الآغا: "يا آغا! قليلاً من الوقت. امنحني قليلاً من الوقت". صرخ الآغا: "ولا يوم! ولا ساعة! انقلع! وعليك أن تحضر لي النّقود هذه اللّـيلة".
اختفى الفـلّاح من المدخل دون أيّ كلمة أخرى، وجلس الآغا وتابع حديثه المنقطع وطعامه المعترض، وتابع الضّيوف الآخرون طعامهم كما لو أنّ شيئاَ لم يحدث، لكنّي شعرت بشيء من الخجل بسبب وجودي على يمين رشيد، ولم أشعر بالأسف بأن أطلب الإذن بالرّحيل.
قال نجيب: "الآغا رجل شرير، عسى الله أن يجازيه على أعماله، إنّه يعتصر من الفقراء آخر متليك لديهم، ويصادر أراضيهم، ويخرجهم من بيوتهم إلى الجوع والحرمان..
ثمّ تبع ذلك خمس ساعات من أسوأ مراحل السّفر، ويمكن أن يكون ذلك عقوبة لي ولنجيب لجلوسنا على مائدة الشّـرير)..
بعد قراءة ذلك واستقراء الحال وقتها.. فكّرت بكلا الرّجلين..
الآغا وذاك الفلاح المسكين..
يا ترى كيف دبّر أموره يومها؟ وهل أستطاع دفع ما طُلب منه؟
ما حال زوجه وأولاده؟
هل غيّب الآغا والدهم عنهم وتركهم للجوع والحرمان؟
ذهبوا كلّهم وبقيت أعمالهم..
فاز من فاز بصبره وخسر وخاب من تجبّر وتعالى..
فالدّيّـان لا يموت..
ولا تضيع عنده مثقال ذرّة..
أمّا ما ذكرته من مقولة: "إذا صحّ منك الودّ أرشدت للحيَل)..
فلم تخف الكاتبة المشقّات والصّعوبات التي كابدتها في رحلتها تلك.. وطبعاً ليست هذه رحلتها الوحيدة.. وهي الإنكليزيّة الثريّـة..
ولكن الهدف الذي كانت تسعى له بدعمٍ من بلادها جعلها تتحمّل تلك المشاق والمتاعب.. وقد وصلت ووصلوا لما رسموه وأرادوه..
يؤسفني أنّنا نفتقر أمثال هؤلاء.. من يخلص لقضيّته ويتحمّل من أجلها حتّى يصل..
وهذا ما قا��ت به امرأة..
ربّما يعجز عن فعله رجال..
فمن رام أمراً لا ينسحب منه حتّى يكمله.. مهما واجه من صعاب..

كتاب قيّم محزِن موثِّق وما خفي أعظم..
يعطينا صورة بانوراميّة موضوعيّة تجعلك ترتبط خيوط الأحداث – الخفيّة منها قبل الجليلة- مع بعضها لتعطيك النّتيجة الطّبيعيّة لكلّ ما رأيناه عبر قرن غابر وما نراه اليوم..
ولكن أملي بالله أنّ بشارات الخير باتت واضحة وعسى الله تعالى أن يأذن بفرج من عنده ينفض عنّـا غبار سنين مضت كنّا نائمين فيها..
لكن وكما ذكر مالك بن نبي طالما أنّ مقوّمات الحضارة – الوقت والأرض والإنسان- موجودين فبإذن الله لا زال لنا ثقة بعودة ألـقِـنا من جديد.. وما بالنا ومعنا كتاب الله تعالى الذي تعهّـد بحفظه وسنّة نبيّه عليه الصّلاة والسّلام التي سخّر الله لها عبر القرون من يحميها ويصونها..
تداعيات وتداعيات تبادرت لذهني هذه بعضها..
أسأله تعالى فرجاً قريباً محفوفاً بلطفه..

وفاء
نيسان 2017

[Strivetoengage · Rating 5 out of 5]

After finding so much pleasure in reading Gertrude Bell's book Amarath to Amarath I moved on to Syria - The Desert and the Sown with great expectations (downloaded for free from this site because it is outside of copyright). It lived up to my hopes and was also a great pleasure to read. Once again I loved travelling vicariously with perhaps the most adventurous British woman that I've heard of, though granted her wealth gave her comforts and staff that are inaccessible to most others, she chose not to marry and stay in a comfortable life in Britain but instead to travel far and wide across the Middle East, climb mountains, master Arabic, Farsi, German and French and shape modern Iraq.

This book was published 4 years earlier than Amarath to Amarath and Bell is more timid and less assured in this earlier book. She also has not learnt as much about archeology and architecture than what she decribes in the later book. An advantage of Syria - The Desert and the Sown is that it doesn't have the long academic descriptions of archeological sites that even I skim read. All in all, I loved both books, everything I loved most about Amarath to Amarath was in Syria - The Desert and the Sown, and Bell is still my hero (despite the monumental mess of modern Iraq). I wish I had left a gap between reading the two books so that I didn't spend the first part of Syria - The Desert and the Sown comparing it and her slightly altered writing style with Amarath to Amarath.

Here I have made a few observations from the book and copied some of my favourite quotes:

Bell describes her arrival in the village of Salt in Syria. She is greeted by an Arab Christian man who invites her to stay in his guest room. She joins him for coffee and describes the elegant ceremony:

"We settled down to coffee, the bitter black coffee of the Arabs, which is better than any nectar. The cup is handed with a "Deign to accept," you pass it back empty, murmuring "May you live!" As you sip someone ejaculates, "A double health," and you reply, "Upon your heart!"

Bell is guided through the desert by a handsome young local Arab man named Gablan who:

"Taught me also the names of the plants that dotted the ground, and I found that though the flora of the desert is scanty in quantity, it is of many varieties, and that almost every kind has been put to some useful end by the Arabs. With the kai of the utmfan they scent their butter, from the prickly kursa'aneh they make an excellent flalad, on the dry sticks of the billan the camels feed, and the sheep on those of the shih, the ashes of the gait are used in soap boiling."

Bell sits in the tent of a sheikh and observes:

"The lee side of an Arab tent is always open to the air; if the wind shifts the women take down the tent wall and set it up against another quarter, and in a moment your house has changed its outlook and faces gaily to the most favourable prospect. It is so small and light and yet so strongly anchored that the storms can do little to it; the coarse meshes of the goat's hair cloth swell and close together in the wet so that it needs continuous rain carried on a high wind before a cold steam leaks into the dwelling-place."

About the Seijari women Bell records:

"The Seijari women were wonderfully beautiful. They wore dark blue Bedouin dress, but the blue cloths hanging from their heads were fastened with heavy gold ornaments, like the plaques of the Mycenean treasure, one behind each temple. Agreeable though their company proved to be I was obliged to cut short my visit by reason of the number of fleas that shared the captivity of the family."

This reflection on appetite is interesting when taking into account the modern day obesity rates that I have observed in Saudi Arabia:

"The Arab eats astonishingly little, much less than a European woman with a good appetite, and when there is no guest in camp, bread and a bowl of camel's milk is all they need. It is true they spend most of the day asleep or gossiping in the sun, yet I have seen the 'Agel making a four months' march on no more generous fare. Though they can go on such short commons, the Bedouin must seldom be without the sensation of hunger; they are always lean and thin, and any sickness that falls upon the tribe carries off a large proportion of its numbers."

This conversation between a Kurdish Agha and a Druze host is interesting in light of the increase in religiosity in the Arab world in recent decades:

"You may find men in the Great Mosque at Damascus at the Friday prayers and a few perhaps at Jerusalem, but in Beyrout and in Smyrna the mosques are empty and the churches are empty. There is no religion any more.
"My friends," said the Agha , "I will tell you the reason. In the country men are poor and they want much. Of whom should they ask it but of God? There is none other that is compassionate to the poor save He alone. But in the towns they are rich, they have got all they desire, and why should they pray to God if they want nothing?"

An Arab named 'Awad joins Bell's party as a guide:

"We were all shivering as we set out in the chill dawn, but 'Awad turned the matter into jest by calling out from his camel: "Lady, lady! Do you know why I am cold? It is because I have four wives in the house!" And the others laughed, for he had the reputation of being a bit of a Don Juan, and such funds as he possessed went to replenishing his harem rather than his wardrobe."

I have encountered this sort of talk among Arab men who trust me, complaining when they are away from their wives, not because they miss talking to them but because they consider it an injustice being without sex for even one day.

Bell was guided by an older Arab man named Yunis with ten children from two wives. He remarked about how much one of his wives cost him and when Bell enquired he responded:

"I took her from her husband, and by God (may His name be praised and exalted!) I had to pay two thousand piastres to the husband and three thousand to the judge."

Anyone who has what I call an 'epic' like the time I was stranded in a village in Patagonia will relate to this:

"The next day's journey is branded on my mind by an incident which I can scarcely dignify with the name of an adventure - a misadventure let me call it. It was s tedious while it was happening as a real adventure (and no one but he who has been through them knows how tiresome they frequently are), and it has not left behind it that remembered spice of possible danger that enlivens fireside recollections."

Bell had this to say about Damascus that I can't imagine can still be true:

"Whether you ride to Damascus by a short cut or by a high road, from the Hauran or from Palmyra, it is always further away than any known place. Perhaps it is because the traveller is so eager to reach it, the great and splendid Arab city set in a girdle of fruit trees and filled with the murmur of running water."

And her original sponsor said this:

"I am persuaded that in and about Damascus you may see the finest Arab population that can be found anywhere. They are the descendents of the original invaders who came up on the first great wave of the conquest, and they have kept their stock almost pure."

It was nice to see her photos of the temples at Ba'albek and others that I don't think I'll ever get to see in person.

As Trump takes power in the USA, Britain departs from the EU, and Europe moves inexorably to the right this quote is pertinent:

"I fell to wondering whether civilisation is indeed, as we think it in Europe, a resistless power sweeping forward and carrying upon its crest."

I copied this passage about the natural beauty in northern Syria for the gardeners out there:

"Every ledge and hollow was a garden of wild flowers; tall blue irises unfurled their slender buds under sweet-smelling thickets of bay, and the air was scented with the purple daphne."

This statement from Bell resonates with my philosophy of striving to engage:

"Opportunities of enlarging the circle of your acquaintance should always be grasped, especially in foreign parts."

In 1907 Gertrude Bell had this to say about Armenians in Turkey, eight years before the genocide:

"The villages on the coast contain large colonies of Armenians; they are surrounded by military stations, to prevent the inhabitants from escaping either inland to other parts of the empire or by sea to Cyprus."

If you look at what's happening in Syria and wonder how people could have so much animosity towards each other, read Gertrude Bell and the deep distrust and indeed hatred of all other groups and the number of different groups will help to explain (ignoring the foreign influences for now). For example this is what one Arab had to say about Circassians in Syria:

"The father sells his children, and the children would kill their own father if he had gold in his belt. It happened once that I was riding from Tripoli to Homs, and near the khan I met a Circassian walking alone. I said 'Peace be upon you! Why do you walk?' for the Circassians never go afoot. He said 'My horse has been stolen from me, and I walk in fear upon this road.' I said 'Come with me and you shall go in safety to Homs.' But I made him walk before my horse, for he was armed with a sword, and who knows what a Circassian will do if you cannot watch him? And after a little we passed an old man working in the fields, and the Circassian ran out to him and spoke with him, and drew his sword as though to kill him. And I called out 'What has this old man done to you?' And he replied 'By God I am hungry, and I asked him for food, and he said "I have none" wherefore I shall kill him'. Then I said 'Let him be. I will give you food' And I gave him half of all I had, bread and sweetmeats and oranges. So we journeyed until we came to a stream, and I was thirsty, and I got off my mare and stooped to drink. And I looked up to see the Circassian with his foot in my stirrup on the other side of the mare, for he designed to mount her and ride away. And by God I had been a father and a mother to him, therefore I struck him with my sword so that he fell to the ground. And I bound him and drove him to Homs and delivered him to the Government. This is the manner of the Circassians, may God curse them!"

This passage reminded me of summer in Saudi Arabia in my black abaya and hijab:

"In Yemen if a man stood in the shade and saw a purse of gold lying in the sun, by God he would not go out to pick it up, for the heat is like the fire of hell."

This review was first posted on my blog: https://strivetoengage.wordpress.com/...

[Kk · Rating 3 out of 5]

For class...well written

[Anne]

I got about half way and decided it was too much of a maze of people, connections, and locations. She talked about various ruins and archaeological locations but didn't explain their history so the locations didn't mean anything to me. She looked down on the women particularly and some of the men. She spoke about different groups of Muslims (or as she wrote Moslems) but really didn't explain why the sub-groups were looked down upon by other Muslims or what made them different. The map wasn't too clear on what made her go the way she did.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gertrude Bell’s “The Desert and the sown” though written in the spring of 1905 is a timeless account of the Middle East. The underlying distrust and feuding of the various tribal and regional sects remain constant, even a hundred years since this book was written, fighting continues for the same reason; rebels in Yemen, Kurds in the mountains and bandits waiting in ambush not to mention religious rivalries from one group to another one century after next. She provides an insight to the Middle Eastern way of thinking which is extremely helpful to understand why things are being done there.
The marvelous photographs Gertrude took on her travels in the region are now often the only thing that remains of the ancient historical sites. Many sites have been razed to the ground in search of hided treasure or carted stone by stone to build houses, government buildings and mosques leaving only faded memories of their once glory.
I would recommend this book to any student or serious traveler of the Middle East.

[Horus · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an amazing travel journal of its time. Gertrude Bell was one of the first women to graduate from Oxford, had some facility with languages and little fear. She spent some time travelling around Persia and the modern middle east, by herself (albeit with guides and staff) meeting interesting people and investigating whatever ruins and historical places that she could. Desert and the Sown was first published in 1907, which makes the travel and the photographs (as much as I yearned for colour and better quality) all that more amazing. The first world war is about to happen and you can sense the tension between the Arabs and the Turks, as well as get a very minor perspective on the “Armenian issue”. An excellent read for those students of middle east history.

[Marshall Cobb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not the easiest read and the amazing photos did not always marry the narrative BUT... this is a book everyone should read and a person who deserves to be held up as an example of the best kind of mix of fearlessness and curiosity. I can't believe there has not been more popular recognition of Ms. Bell's contributions but it all seems to have been steered the direction of L of Arabia (not taking anything from him, who is worthy of his fame). Lastly, in light of the more recent events in Syria, the small amount of light shed by this amazing account has likely darkened and may never be seen again.

[Doria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating descriptions of people, landscapes, archaeology, flora and fauna by an unusually well educated woman of her time. That being said, Gertrude Bell continually evinces the prejudices of her upbringing, both in regards to class and race. She combines physical intrepidity with confident snobbery, breezily passing judgment on every individual and community she encounters. The book is an important historic document offering a glimpse - albeit heavily filtered by early 20th century British imperial attitudes - of life and culture in areas then occupied by the Ottoman Empire in its waning years.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful insights but a bit too much archaeology for me. I much preferred when she spoke about the people and her reactions to her travels rather than the archaeological structures. But I can't really complain, because that is exactly what she was meaning to do! Fantastic book nonetheless.

[JA Condie · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Gertrude Bell made this journey in 1905, she was travelling in Syria. Now, the majority of the land she crossed is called Jordan. It added a frisson to this fascinating and well written narrative to read her descriptions of places I've travelled to myself (considerably more recently!).

[Kathleen Woodcock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gertrude Bell’s travelogue about her caravan camel/horse ride from Jerusalem through Syria where she visited Aleppo, Antioch and Shiraz. She met Druze, Kurds and multiple Arab tribes, each with their identity tied to place of birth. She learned about inter-tribe hostilities and the struggle to hold onto land, livestock and possessions.

Gertrude spoke Arabic and studied ancient archeology. As she traveled through Syria she photographed antiquity architecture and described each site poetically in order to create this magical book.

As a single woman, she was respected and accepted by Arab men who saw her as their protector and called her ‘Queen of the Desert’. Her bravery and fortitude during war time was rather remarkable and extraordinary.

[Allyson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this for our book club and found it very interesting despite almost no knowledge of the region she travels.
She was brave and so smart, able to speak Arabic and French in addition to her native tongue English which made her reception much easier I expect. And quite witty which made the reading pleasurable.

[Liz Wager · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was keen to read this after reading a biography of Bell. She writes beautifully and my only gripe is the appalling digitalization (I hope I didn't pay for this Kindle version!). Fascinating (if depressing) to read Bell's predictions of instability in Syria at the end of the Ottoman empire.

[Sherry · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty slow going, but Gertrude Bell was definitely not of her time (early 1900's). Reading about her life should be better.

[Deb W]

I couldn't get into it.

[Wilhemina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting read. Gertrude Bell was definitely a woman ahead of her time!

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

fascinating book of a women before her time, lovely descriptions of middle east at turn of century, i am reading Janet wallach biography. now. lovely books to read together

[Gerard Kevin McBride · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’d always wanted to read her books, together with a love of old travel books. Downloaded it after watching the drama documentary with Tilda Swindon.

Sometimes these old travellers can be a bit intimidating with their old fashioned writing style. It was not the case. She has a clear, almost sparse style.

The book describes a horse back journey taken in the spring from Palestine to Alexandretta when it was part of the Ottoman Empire. Accompanied my a mule train, some servants and guides with some Ottoman soldiers as guards. Her route took them over mountains, through valleys, across deserts and into cities such Damascus. Taking in the geography and ancient sites, she was more than a tourist. An archaeologist with an understanding of the people.
She must have a very good horse rider too as those rocky paths and old Roman roads sounded tough.
Well with reading for a glimpse of that area in the early twentieth century.
A map showing her route as well as a few photographs of what she saw would be helpful.

[Tyler Horton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A remarkable book by a truly remarkable woman. Although surely steeped in the errors of her day, Gertrude Bell was an admirable character who I think lived up to her best light. Anyone who has read Howell's biography of Bell should read this (or another of Bell's books) after, and I would recommend it in that order. This edition is illustrated with her own photographs (nearly one per page!), as is the Folio Society edition which I've only just discovered to exist. The travel tales and reports of the sites of ruins are not captivating or sensational in themselves, but I'd say Bell's voice is worth spending some time listening to. Although this was written early in her experience (1907), the wisdom that made her of such value is already on display.

[Evan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully written account by a hilariously headstrong Victorian with no shortage of praise or vitriol for those she encountered along the way. Exceptionally good eye for the social and political realities of the time, too, with many very illuminating insights into the fruits and failings of the late Ottoman administration in the Levant. If there's one minor drawback, it's the many long-winded descriptions of various flowers, rocks, and ruins she sees along the way. But her human encounters still greet us with the same brilliance, empathy, and sting as they must have readers 120 years ago.

[John Sgammato · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this. Ms Bell traveled from Jerusalem to Antioch while those lands we're under Turkish control. She handled all the details, including paperwork for the infamous Ottoman bureaucracy, hiring and firing of muleteers and other laborers, archaeological observations and photography, and delicate negotiations with Ottoman-antagonistic tribal chieftains. She was fluent in Arabic, French, and other useful languages, and the cultures of the area.
Sometimes the architectural descriptions get rather technical and dry, but her descriptions of the people and the land are wonderful.

[Mrs E Wetherall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Times Past

I had heard of, but knew little of Gertrude Bell. Kind of a female TE Lawrence. An account of her travels in Jordan and Syria in 1905. A simple book about times past. I will definitely read more

[S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Found this e-book on Barnes & Noble instead:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/syri...
(The Amazon link went to a blank page with a picture of a dog.)

[Chris Stanley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully vivid prose in her descriptions of the desert and its people. A joy to read. Fascinating in many ways. She was an absolute powerhouse of a person and sadly still underrated and unknown. She offers more than the often more revered Lawrence in my opinion.

[Jennifer Royan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as well-written as "A Woman in Arabia". However, the fact that most of this no longer exists due to the current war in Syria makes this worthy of a push from 3.5 to 4.

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting memoir of a brave, nontraditional woman in early 20th century travel. I think Laurie King read this as background for her Mideast books. I read in small doses.

[Debbie Beck · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this bio.

[Abby Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better than I ever expected