Object Note
Part of a lot with one more item (ZI221.500941.1 PALESTINE) also in the collection.
Object History
This piece was purchased by Dr. Reem Tariq El Mutwalli from a social media follower named Robin, an independent collector in 2021. She reached out to Dr Reem asking her if she was interested in purchasing the article.
When Dr. Reem agreed, Ms Robin replied: “I am so happy to hear this news! I bought this amazing hat in Jerusalem in 1970 and have treasured it and displayed it wherever I have lived. It is wonderful news that it will be preserved and go to the perfect new owners. I only parted with it now because I was diagnosed with cancer this year and knew it should find a new home.
I can’t wait until you see it in person–I believe you will not be disappointed.”
Upon receiving the article Dr Reem added the piece to The Zay Initiative collections to enhance it.
The Zay Initiative is thankful to Ms Robin for reaching out and hopes that she is on her path to recovery and wishes her a healthy future.
Object Features
This is a women’s ceremonial cap (wqayah) made of burgundy velvet and a wide flat carpet-style woven crown with two velvet ear flaps or ear pendants embellished with small metal, possibly silver engraved discs that look like coins of very low denomination.
A blue possibly cotton patch dyed in (indigo) attached to the front of the cap is also embellished with small metal discs similar to the ear pendants. Although the previous owner noted that it was added later, it could not be confirmed.
Beneath the patch along the brim of the cap, an iron and silver chain is attached horizontally with dangling silver chin chains (znag) with silver coins both big and small.
The bigger coins vary from silver to copper and other metal alloys possibly brass and bear the calligraphic seal (tughra) of the Ottoman Emperor Sultan Mahmud II alongside the inscribed Hijri year 1223 which coincides with c.1808-1809 CE of the Gregorian calendar.
The velvet crown is embroidered with (couching) style embroidery done with metal thread – possibly silver – in a zigzag pattern. The woven part has three wide panels with geometric repeats reminiscent of architectural shapes looking like triangular archways, but it represents the palm tree pattern (nakhlah) famous in the Ramallah regions. The cap has no lining and is completely hand-stitched.
Although collected in c. 1970 from Jerusalem, this piece was possibly made in the city of Hebron for the ceremonial purpose of a Bedouin household as mentioned by the previous collector. It could have possibly been part of a bride’s trousseau and was also perhaps worn by her at her wedding.
Links
- Khalidi, El Leila. The Art of Palestinian Embroidery. Saqi Books, 1999.
- Kawar, Widad Kamel. Threads of Identity: Preserving Palestinian Costume and Heritage. Rimal Publications, 2011.
- Kawar, Widad, and Tania Tamari Nasir. Palestinian Embroidery: Traditional “Fallahi” Cross-Stitch. Al-Moʼassasaal-Aarabiyya Lildirasat Wa al-Nashr, 2003.
- Skinner, Margarita, and Widad Kamel Kawar. Palestinian Embroidery Motifs: A Treasury of Stitches, 1850-1950. Melisende, 2014.
- Al-Ḥafīẓ, Sibāʻī Ṭāhirah ʻAbd. A Brief Look at Traditional Palestinian Costumes: A Presentation of Palestinian Fashion. Tahra Abdul Hafiz, 1987.
- Weir, Shelagh. Palestinian Costume. Arris Books, 2009.
- Rajab, Jehan S. Palestinian Costume. KPI, 1989.
- Weir, Shelagh. Embroidery from Palestine. The British Museum Press, 2006.
- Vogelsang-Eastwood, Gillian. Encyclopedia of Embroidery from the Arab World. Bloomsbury Academic, 2016.
- 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.
- Orthcoming Issues Dvisory Board – This Week in Palestine, https://thisweekinpalestine.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Mar-2022-287.pdf
- 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/
- Kalter, Johannes. Arts and Crafts of Syria. Thames and Hudson, 1993.
- 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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