Gertrude Bell Archive, excerpts
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Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: Gertrude Bell, Gertrude Bell Archive, excerpts, bahai-library.com.
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Gertrude Bell Archive, excerpts

Gertrude Bell

1902-1924

1. Excerpts
see more documents at gertrudebell.ncl.ac.uk
and list of all letters at gertrudebell.ncl.ac.uk/letter_details.php?from_to=all

26 March 1902

Haifa we reached at 7 this morning - it has been a day of bewildering
experiences. Everyone in Haifa, you must understand, holds a commission
direct from the Almighty - except, Mr Monaghan who holds his only from a
paltry king. There must be something in the air of Mount Carmel favourable
to mental derangement of a special kind - at any rate, if you want to
commence prophet you take a little house in Haifa; you could scarcely
begin in any other way. I have already made the acquaintance of one or two
for this afternoon I went down to Haifa - I live on the top of the hill
and Haifa is half an hour away to seek out a teacher. The half wit but
amiable son of my landlord accompanied me saying he wd take me to a German
who wd give me advice as to when to apply. So we stopped at a neat little
white house in the German colony and my guide began to converse in low
tones with Herr Wasserzug - such is his incredible name - through the
window while I studied the motto on the door: Gott ist unser Burg, they
all have verses from the Bible over the doors. Presently I also approached
the window and there was the Prophet in his shirt{sleeves} with bare arms
working at his trade which I take to be, most suitably, that of a
carpenter. He at once greeted me in the most fluent English, wrinkled up
his funny round face and invited me to come in and see his wife who is a
very nice cultivated English woman - I believe she brought the money which
enables him to follow the Divine direction. I distinctly like Prophets -
Herr Wasserzug is a charming man, most intelligent about Semitic languages.
He sent me off to one Abu Nimrud, a native, comme de droit, of Nineveh,
who, he said was the best man he cd recommend. On my way I called on Mr
Monaghan - upon my honour he's just as odd in his own way. A tall,
stooping, high shouldered, bearded man with a weak mouth and vague eyes -
the vaguer perhaps because I think I roused him from his midday sleep. He
offered me books and advice and coffee all in a hurried agitated manner:
"Can't I - mayn't I - won't you allow me to offer you any of the customary
refreshments? a cup of coffee? no? no, no! Ah - hm - what do people take
at this time? (NB it was 4) Yes, yes, a glass of water? - No? no." I took
however a Persian history of the Babis from him and went off hunting Abu
Nimrud all over the town.

Thursday 27. [27 March 1902]

At last I found him in his shop in the
bazaar, a polite old party with whom I speedily came to terms - he
agreed to come up and give me my first lesson today, but need I say he
hasn't come. The next thing was to get a Persian. My old friend 'Abbas
Effendi the head of the sect, is now confined to Acre ['Akko]; something
has happened, I don't quite know what, but anyway he and his younger
brother have quarrelled and the brother got the Turks to forbid 'Abbas to
leave Acre, though he has a house here too. I heard however that the son
in law of 'Abbas, Husein Effendi, lived here and I determined to apply to
him. Accordingly I made my way to his shop - a sort of little general
store like the shop of a small country town - and in this unlikely setting
I found a company of grave Persians, sitting round on the biscuit tins and
the bags of grain, and Husein himself leaning over the counter. The
typical, the unmistakable mystic, inheritor of all the centuries of
Persian mysticism, he is of the pÄte of which martyrs and ascetics are
made and he wd go to the stake with the same dreamy ecstatic smile on his
long drawn face as it wore when he answered my inquiries after 'Abbas
Effendi who is for him the representative of the B…b, the Prophet that was
to come. The upshot of it is that I hope I shall end by getting a Persian
to come and talk to me. A horse was the next necessity and horse dealers
my next acquaintances - I see one at this instant upon the road bringing
me up to horse to try. I am excellently lodged in two rooms with a balcony
from whence I see all across the bay and Acre at the end of a long stretch
of sand, and the Plain of Esdraelon with Kishon [Qishon] running through
it, and far away Hermon [Sheikh, Jebel esh] white with snow. Later. But
for all that I find I shall have to d‚m‚nager. Abu Nimrud came up this
morning and gave me a long lesson, but he declared that it was too far for
him to come and that he could only get me a Persian on condition that I wd
come down into the town, so I rode down this afternoon and inspected the
two hotels and fixed on one standing in a charming garden where I could
get 2 big comfortable rooms; it has the further advantage of being kept by
Syrians so that I shall hear and speak nothing but Arabic. Mr Monaghan
came to see me while I was out, but I met him as I rode up - I was riding
a horse something like a clothes horse, but I'm to try another tomorrow
and Mr M. also has one in his eye that would do for me. Mr M. is most
obliging. He is coming up here on Saturday and on Sunday we are going to
ride to Athlit ['Atlit], a wonderful Crusader castle on the sea some 3
hours from here. Husein Effendi's brother in law is going to teach me
Persian. He is a cheerful young man with a round face

13/04/1902

Sun. 14. [sic] [13 April 1902] Rode over to Acre ['Akko]. Visited the
mosque wh is charming and went to the house of 'Abbas who was out. Got a
letter to Abu Kasim his gardener at the garden by the Nahr Na'man, Shahuta
is its name [Persian[?] characters] where I lunched under the trees Abu
Kasim discoursing to me the while on religion and Abbas in Persian.
Reg.[?] oriental untidy garden full of flowers. Came rain and I sat on his
balcony and drank tea. Then rode off to the Bahjeh a really lovely place
with a big tank and pines and cypresses. Went into the house and talked to
the women. Then on to the Bahjeh House behind where the Beha's tomb is,
where the gardener gave me flowers and so back to Acre where I succeeded
in seeing 'Abbas. He was most polite but not very cordial I thought. His
servants treat him with immense respect. We spoke chiefly of the
possibilities of a universal language. So home getting in at 6.45. Talked
to Mr Khaddar and Mr Rust who left next day early.

14/04/1902

Mon. {13} 14 [14 April 1902] After lunch called on Amin Abd ul Nur's wife
and went to Marun's where I photographed his Arab. Then to Bahaj. Felt
very ill and came home to find I had fever. Had a Persian lesson in a sort
of nightmare and dreamt of it all night. 2 American globe trotters,
husband and wife went off today to see Abbas with Balora. Nice old things.

Wed 23 [23 April 1902]

All the 4 Americans went off early to my great
regret. There remain in the hotel a party of Syrians Fuad Saad and his
wife and children and governess, nice people, from Akka ['Akko (Acre)].
Muhammad Ali and Badi' Allah live in his house. Rode up from Balad esh
Sheikh meaning to find my way up to Khureibeh, but I missed it and got
into impossible places and was obliged to turn back. Found the lovely wild
broom.

Sun 4. [4 May 1902]

Drove with M. Abdullah and A. and R. Khanums to Akka
['Akko (Acre)]. Got to[?] Baghjle[?] about 11.30 where we lunched with his
mother, sister and brother in law. A son of Muhammad 'Ali's was also there
Shu'a Allah. Then I was taken to see the tomb set about with lamps and
covered with carpets. Zitt Allah is also buried here. Then to see
Fughuriyeh Khanum and her husband Sayyid 'Ali. Then to the greatest widow
Bibi Kh. [Arabic characters] or Khanumi or Hazrat Haram where there were a
lot of young women probably granddaughters and a daughter I think.
Samadiah Khanum. Drove off to Akka ['Akko (Acre)] where I called on
Muhammad 'Ali and Badi Allah and saw the other wife Ghauhar[?] Khanum.
(Abba's Mother's name was [Arabic characters] So home getting in at 7.

Tues 6. Wed 7. Thurs 8. Fri. 9. Sat. 10. [6-10 May 1902]

On Tuesday I dined with Amir Abd ul Nour to meet Mr Monahan [i.e. Monaghan]; Badri Beg
and Mr P. Abela made up the party. After dinner they had in old Mushkin
Kalam who did tricks for us. Amin Effendi and I went to see him one
afternoon this week. Very hot.

Mon 23. [23 January 1905]

Began the day by chasing a thief who had
stolen a belt of Sim'an's. Found the thief but not the belt. Got off at
8.15. Very delightful day, cold but sunny. Inspected the great bi'rs at
Ras ul Ain. The road lay over two great headlands, Ras el Abyad and Ras en
Nakurah [Naqoura, Ras ed], very splendid with the sea beating up against
them. Then a long plain past Zib and the orange gardens of the Akka ['Akko
(Acre)] plain. Just before I reached the Bagheheh my horse fell dead lame
and I had to change with Sim'an. At the Bagheheh Sayyid Ali Effendi made
me most welcome and his wife and mother in law fell on my neck and gave me
good Persian tea. Stayed talking with them over an hour. Badi 'Allah has
joined Abbas Effendi but Muhammad Ali is irreconcilable. They loaded me
with flowers and I rode off in the dusk. Went to see Miss Ramsay and found
her just going out to dinner. Camped outside the gate. Coldish.

Tues 24. [24 January 1905]

One of Sayyid 'Ali's sons is at school in the
Lebanon and he thinks of sending him to the Colliyeh or to America.)
Breakfasted with the Ramsays. I sent Abbas Effendi a message through Dr
Gould asking if he would like to see me and received the answer that he wd
prefer not. I think he is afraid of me because I know too much of the
ikhtilaf. The stream of Americans has begun again and the money flows in.
Miss Ramsay says that Abbas is very much on his guard against her and she
no longer teaches the girls English. Perhaps what Ba Hajj says is true
that the Americans have taught Abbas that he is the Messiah. Walked about
the town with Miss R. and say [sic] a very beautiful khan, the Persian
khan with great columns all round and rough capitals. Lunched with the
Ramsays and drove to Haifa in the streaming rain. Ibrahim Nassar and his
wife delighted to see me. Walked into Abdullah's tea house and drank tea
with him. Then to the hospital where I saw Miss [space left blank]. My
horse is I fear incurable. Streaming rain and wind.

8 January 1907

After H. left yesterday I went to the Khedivial library and
had a very interesting talk with Dr Moritz who showed me lots of beautiful
things. We became so deep in talk that I brought him home to lunch with me
and then he came up to see Father for a few moments. After he went I sat
with Father most of the afternoon except for half an hour when I had to go
and see Countess Bernstorff whose day it was. Sir John Harrington came in
late and stayed till nearly dinner time but Father did not see him as his
doctor was there. This morning I went at cockcrow to Dr Moritz's house and
we looked at photographs and talked of Sassanian ornament for three happy
hours. It really was delightful. I got home at 12 and found Father quite
brisk. He rested after lunch and Mrs Napier and I went to the bazaars
where I found some Persian friends and was entertained with tea. They knew
the Acre ['Akko] people and had seen my photograph in their houses. They
were Beha'is of course.

10 January 1907

I went to the library yesterday morning and had out books and discussed
some ornaments with Moritz. While Father rested after lunch I went out
with Mrs Napier and showed her some mosques. After tea I was flooded out
with Persians! They were all Beha'is who came to see me thinking I was a
believer! I had to tell them at once I wasn't, however they have asked me
to tea undaunted.

18 January 1907 Cairo

I paid a visit on a lot of Persians today; most delightful it was. They
are Beha'is of course, nice people. It's become quite a habit to be in
this hotel! a bad habit. Your affectionate daughter Gertrude

[10 October 1920]

I had my usual group of colleagues, Major Yetts, Capt.
Clayton and Major Murray to dine last week and with them Saiyid Husain
Afnan, the editor of one of the vernacular papers and a great friend of
Capt Clayton and me. His remarkable career is as follows: he is the
grandson through his mother of Baha Ullah, the Persian reformer (father of
'Abbas Effendi whom Lisa met in London) who was exiled by the Shah and
allowed by the Sultan to live at Acre ['Akko]. There Saiyid Husain was
born - a direct descendant of the Prophet through Husain who was killed at
Karbala. He was educated at the Quaker school at Brumana in the Lebanon,
graduated at the American college at Beyrut [Beyrouth (Beirut)] and at
Cambridge. During the war he was in charge of a prisoner's camp in India.
You saw him here - he was then in business with Mahmud Shabandar. He is a
free thinker, talks English as well as I do, almost, is bi-lingual as far
as Persian and Arabic are concerned and has a profound knowledge of the
near East coupled with a complete understanding of the European point of
view and a great sympathy with it. I think him one of the most interesting
people I know. He is not very hopeful about the East. What strikes him -
and I must say it strikes me as far as I know about it - is the
viciousness of private life and the entire lack of morals. The mode of
existence of most of the young and ardent nationalists would surprise you,
added to which, says Saiyid Husain "What can you expect of people who
never go to bed sober?" Don't for a moment think that it's all due to
western contact. Town life has always been the same, and whether they get
drunk on champagne or on araq doesn't affect the matter. The fact is I
don't think you will ever find - or very very rarely - a Mohammadan who
lives a decent existence, but not beginning to be decent. And he pays the
price physically, which means mentally also. The remedy I don't know. It's
surprising, when you come to think of it that we in Europe should have
found out that a reasonable minimum of virtue and honesty are essential
concomitants of any successful society. They haven't found it out in Asia,
no matter what religion they happen to belong to.

26 February 1922

I ended the day with a dinner party in my own house to
which came Mr Cooke, Saiyid Muhi al Din (the second, and far the
cleverest, son of the Naqib) the Governor of Baghdad (Taufiq Khalidi)
Hikmat Sulaiman, an able cynical man - his brother was a famous War
Minister under the Turks - and 'Abdul Latif Nuri, a member of the 'Iraq
Army General Staff. Muhi al Din, Taufiq and Hikmat are all men of singular
breadth of mind. People who think that the East has a wholly different
mentality from the West should hear men of this kind when they are talking
freely together as I think they do in my house. The real difference is in
character; they are very reluctant to give themselves away in public - the
weight of popular ignorance and superstition bears too heavily upon them.
These three were discussing that night an episode which may possibly give
the 'Iraq Govt some trouble. There's a house in Baghdad which belonged to
Baha Ullah, the Persian founder of a reformed sect of Islam. The Bahais
regard it with great reverence because Baha Ullah lived there for a time
after he was exiled from Persia, some 60 years ago. The Shi'ahs, always
the most fanatical and conservative element, treat the Bahais as
schismatics, and are protesting against their retention of this house on
the ground that it is a nest of heretics. The King and the Naqib are
equally indignant at the agitation. The Naqib loathes the superstition of
the Shi'ahs and to hear the King, in his more expansive moments, on the
Shi'ah divines - well, it's a privilege. My Sunni guests, all of them
really free-thinkers, were equally outspoken, and I can't help hoping that
in this matter of the Bahai house the mujtahids - damnation to all of them
- may find that they have embarked on a pretty tough proposition.

[13 February 1924] Baghdad

But how to prevent the King from interfering in administration - that's
the problem. There has been a terrific affair today. (This is all secret.)
It arose out of an order given by H.M. which quashed a decision of the
Court of First Instance, confirmed by the Court of Appeal. It's a
complicated case, a Shi'ah suit against the Bahais for the possession of a
house; religious fanaticism lies at the bottom of it and H.M., who is
playing up to the Shi'ahs, backed them. The Council backed H.M., Ja'far
not being one who would ever go against him. It was a clear case of the
executive overruling the judicial and Sir Henry took an absolutely firm
stand. He pointed out that if such things occurred the Courts would lose
all credit and the abrogation of capitulations would become impossible. He
insisted on the King's withdrawing his order and the King has undertaken
to do so - I've not yet heard the details of the conversation which took
place between H.M. and Ken this morning (poor Ken was of course the person
who had to represent H.E.'s views to H.M.!) but I saw the King this
afternoon at the Arab polo. He was all smiles, I'm bound to say; he was
dressed in his most beautiful Arab clothes and he was playing the part of
King of the Arabs in his finest manner. He was surrounded by shaikhs of
the tribes of Najd [(Nejd)] who had fled from Ibn Sa'ud and come up to
Faisal, much to the gratification of the latter! There are persistent
rumours that Ibn Sa'ud is dead but I doubt if they are true. They will be
soon, for we hear he has cancer, poor Sultan. On the whole the world will
be simpler without him, I fear.

[9 January 1924] Baghdad

On Saturday afternoon I rode down to see Haji Naji. He really is a
wonderful old thing. His natural good sense and breadth of view are
surprising. There has been a silly fuss made by some extreme Shi'ahs,
confound their politics, about a house in Kadhimain [(Al Kazimiyah)]
belonging to the Bahais, indeed to members of Saiyid Husain Afnan's
family. It's all because they're jealous of him, poor dear, but they put
it on religious grounds - confound religion - an infidel house in a sacred
city and so forth. A deputation came to Haji Naji to ask him to sign a
petition in this sense. Said he, relating the episode: "I like Saiyid
Husain; he is a good young man. So I said: Look you at India. There are
people who worship stones and those who worship men and idols and trees
and bits of rag. What do the English? they pay no attention. And why
should we trouble as to what others worship. Suppose I wish to worship
this ass (that is donk" explained Haji Naji, in parenthesis, in case I
shouldn't understand, for he used a colloquial word.) I say it is a very
good ass and fit to be worshipped. Does it concern you? And 'Wallah! true'
they answered and went away."

2. Links to photos
search for more, e.g. gerty.ncl.ac.uk/search_photos_results.php?search_photos=acre

Photo of Akka June 1900, gerty.ncl.ac.uk/photo_details.php?photo_id=512

Akka "The Babi House" (?) 1899-1900, gertrudebell.ncl.ac.uk/photo_details.php?photo_id=510

June 1900 Akka Citadel, gerty.ncl.ac.uk/photo_details.php?photo_id=511

June 1900 Akka from the sea, gerty.ncl.ac.uk/photo_details.php?photo_id=509

Haifa June 1900, a Persian [Persian man in courtyard in Wadi Salib area of Old City], gertrudebell.ncl.ac.uk/photo_details.php?photo_id=516

This is a well known photo of Azal. The description says Gertrude Bell is the photographer (?). It's a photo of good quality; maybe she *is* the photographer. Caption: [Portrait of an Arab man - seated. Printed on card]. gerty.ncl.ac.uk/photo_details.php?photo_id=517

Harbor and Sea wall of Akka June 1900, gerty.ncl.ac.uk/photo_details.php?photo_id=518

Akka from harbor, gerty.ncl.ac.uk/photo_details.php?photo_id=519

Corn market in Haifa June 1900, gerty.ncl.ac.uk/photo_details.php?photo_id=520

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-- Gertrude Bell Archive, excerpts (Used by permission of the curator)