Umm Basra

Image (c) Gertrude Bell Archive.
Gertrude Bell. "Bellam." Abu Al Khasib (Basra), Iraq, March 1917.
We know much of the turn-of-the-century history of Iraq and its antiquities thanks to several indefatigable women, chief among them Gertrude Bell (1868-1926), staunch advocate of self-determination in that country. "Umm" literally means "mother of;" figuratively, it means "source." This bellam is dedicated to all the indefatigable "umm"s now working ceaselessly to rebuild that dream. #cmarsh