Palestinian thobe dress
Costumes
Inventory number
2025.7.26.3.CO.ET.С1970.ILDescription
Palestinian thobe day dress made of ivory synthetic burlap with tatreez embroidery.The embroidery in fallahi technique (double cross stitch) made with brown, beige and terracotta cotton threads on the front bib and in large squares at the hem between the vertical stripes at front and back; the sleeve bottoms and the four vertical stripes at front and back (so named four-branch dress) are embroidered in vegetal motiffs. It could be modern variation of Ramallah everyday thobe, as usually undyed locally woven linen represented one of the oldest and most distinctive styles in the region. But it also could be a souvenir in the oriental style "Biblification", which became fashionable in North America and Western Europe during the Hippie era.
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
Synthetic burlapCotton thread