Searching for Gertrude Bell, colonial 'mother' of modern Iraq

An image of Werner Herzog's 2015 film 'Queen Of The Desert', in which Nicole Kidman played Gertrude Bell. Bell's role has been somewhat rehabilitated in popular memory in recent years, with several new biographies and histories written. Photo: Handout

For someone credited with being an architect of the nation, the grave of British archaeologist, writer, diplomat and spy Gertrude Bell in the Iraqi capital Baghdad is hard to find.

Down an alley in the heart of the capital, through a heavy locked gate into the Protestant cemetery, and then amid a confusing maze of gravestones, caretaker Ali Mansour leads the way.