Object Note
Part of a lot and set with one other object (ZI2023.501011a PALESTINE) also in the collection.
Object History
This piece was purchased by Dr. Reem Tariq El Mutwalli from Alma Auctions, Tel Aviv in 2023, to add to and enhance The Zay Initiative collections.
Object Features
This is a conical cap (‘araqiyah) constructed of a woollen carpet woven fabric displaying palm tree motifs in red, yellow, black, and blue. It is lined with a thick plain ivory cotton akin to canvas.
It has a printed burgundy cotton patch on the back from which a pair of thick ribbons emerge. These ribbons or ties (lafayif) are constructed of patches of different fabrics – black printed cotton with floral designs, the red silk of (satin) weave, and a patch of (cross_stitch)/(fallahi) embroidered fabric primarily in red, blue, green, yellow and black threads.
One of the wide panels has a braided woollen ribbon in burgundy and blue. These long lafayif also function as hair accessories as they are wound around a wearer’s braids.
The palm tree motif, while prevalent across the Levant region, finds particular prominence in Ramallah and its surrounding areas compared to other regions.
Is it worn in a specific area or by all Palestinians? Should we describe how it is worn?
Links
- Stillman, Yedida Kalfon, and Norman A. Stillman. Arab Dress a Short History from the Dawn of Islam to Modern Times. Brill, 2000.
- Weber, Heike. ANAT and Her Hero BAAL The Embroidery Pattern Language of the Levant. Syrian Handcrafts Limited.
- Kalter, Johannes. Arts and Crafts of Syria. Thames and Hudson, 1993.
- Kawar, Widad, and Tania Tamari Nasir. Palestinian Embroidery: Traditional “Fallahi” Cross-Stitch. Al-Moʼassasa al-Aarabiyya Lildirasat Wa al-Nashr, 2003.
- Kawar, Widad Kamel. Threads of Identity: Preserving Palestinian Costume and Heritage. Rimal Publications, 2011.
- Dimitrova, Pamela. “The Traditional Clothing of Palestine.” Arab America, 30 Oct. 2019, https://www.arabamerica.com/the-traditional-clothing-of-palestine/
- Suleman, Fahmida. Textiles of the Middle East and Central Asia – the Fabric of Life. Thames & Hudson Ltd, 2017.
- ÇATALKAYA GÖK, Ebru. “Çi̇tari̇ fabric.” TURKISH ONLINE JOURNAL OF DESIGN ART AND COMMUNICATION, vol. 11, no. 2, 2021, pp. 443–453, https://doi.org/10.7456/11102100/008
- Van der Walt, Ansie. “Introduction to Embroidery from the Arab World.” Weave a Real Peace Creating a Connected Textile Community, 1 May 2022, https://weavearealpeace.org/warp-blog/embroidery-from-the-arab-world/
- https://artsandculture.google.com/story/aQUBtwXxH-DhKQ
- https://www.tirazcentre.org/en
- https://encyclocraftsapr.com/textiles-6/
- https://encyclocraftsapr.com/embroidery-4/
- https://trc-leiden.nl/trc/index.php/en/blog/1503-a-hebron-embroidery-recently-added-to-the-trc-collection-and-what-it-can-tell
- https://trc-leiden.nl/trc/index.php/en/blog/1316-palestinian-embroidery
- https://trc-leiden.nl/trc/index.php/en/blog/1281-a-palestinian-embroidery-sampler
- https://trc-leiden.nl/trc/index.php/en/blog/1149-embroidered-dresses-from-the-southern-region-of-jordan-ma-an-city
- https://trc-leiden.nl/trc/index.php/en/blog/1183-a-changing-tradition
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