Palestinian thobe dress
Costumes
Inventory number
2025.7.26.2.CO.ET.C1970.ILDescription
Black Palestinian six-branch thobe dress of viscose staple with red floss tatreez embroidery.The dress embroidered in fallahi technique (double cross stitch) on the front bib, in six front, back and side vertical stripes, the front and back squares between the stripes at the hem, by the center and at the bottoms of slightly flared long sleeves. This dress was probably have been made in Ramallah, as since the early 20th century, Ramallah women embroidered thobe almost exclusively with a deep burgundy color, and from the middle of the century onward, used only bright red and black cotton threads.
Tatreez is a traditional form of Palestinian embroidery, often adorning the thobe (traditional Palestinian dress). Palestinian women and girls decorated their thobe with symbols of history, memory, and place, telling the tale of the maker’s life and her connection to the land, her social status. Different regions of Palestine developed unique embroidery techniques, stitches, and motifs, making each tatreez piece distinct. The techniques of tatreez were recognized in 2021 by UNESCO as an important intangible cultural heritage.
Materials
Viscose stapleSilk floss