Palestian Embroidery, £10.99
Length: 195.000 cm
Gift of Miss Olga Tufnell
AOA Ethno 1979.As11.1
Africa, Oceania, Americas
From Falujeh, southern Plain, Palestine, AD 1920s or earlier
Up to the mid-twentieth century, the village women of southern Palestine wore white headveils, in contrast to the black veil of bedouin women. Everyday veils were plain, but veils worn for festive occasions were often richly embroidered. This veil (ghudfeh) is made from three pieces of linen sewn together, and embroidered in silk cross-stitch. Until the mid-twentieth century most women's veils were made from cotton or linen made by male weavers in Palestinian towns. The largest weaving centre in Palestine was Mejdel near Gaza.
Palestinian weaving declined during the British Mandate period (1918-48) as textile imports from Europe increased. Until 1948, most embroidery silk was imported into Palestine from Syria and Lebanon.
S. Weir and S. Shahid, Palestinian embroidery (London, The British Museum Press, 1989)
S. Weir, Palestinian costume (London, The British Museum Press, 1989)