Gaza Dress, Thobe (Early and Mid 20th Century)
Name/Title
Gaza Dress, Thobe (Early and Mid 20th Century)Entry/Object ID
2022.022Description
The traditional dresses of the historic Gaza region are recognized by the colorful striped fabrics woven in al-Majdal. Once a thriving center of Palestinian weaving and dressmaking, al-Majdal was ethnically cleansed between 1947 and 1950. The city's fabrics were woven in narrow strips measuring approximately 33 centimeters wide and 7 meters long. Each fabric carried a distinct name, often associated with the family that produced it. The chest panel of this dress is made from a fabric known as jiljileh. It is woven with black and a bright violet-red stripe. The intensity of the color suggests the fabric was likely woven during the 1970s, after displaced weavers from al-Majdal rebuilt their looms following the June 1967 War and began incorporating brighter synthetic colors into their fabrics. The embroidery tells a different story. The skirt appears to have been embroidered earlier than the chest panel, reflecting the longstanding Palestinian practice of preserving and reusing valued embroidery across generations. Worked in silk thread, the skirt follows the embroidery traditions of Gaza City and the southern coastal plain. The gathered waist is cut generously and may have been intended to accommodate the different stages of a woman's life, including pregnancy and later years. Only a small amount of al-Majdal fabric appears in the chest panel, reflecting the increasing scarcity of these handwoven textiles after 1948. Several flower pots in the chest panel are embroidered upside down. Whether this was an intentional decision by the embroiderer or simply a variation in the design is unknown. The dress could also take on a more poetic interpretation. Palestinian poet Khaled Juma wrote "Oh Rascal Children of Gaza" in 2014 during Israel's assault on Gaza, below, sharing his interpretation of upside down flower pots and broken vases. Oh Rascal Children Of Gaza, by Khaled Juma Oh rascal children of Gaza, You who constantly disturbed me with your screams under my window, You who filled every morning with rush and chaos, You who broke my vase and stole the lonely flower on my balcony, Come back – And scream as you want, And break all the vases, Steal all the flowers, Come back, Just come back…Collection
Permanent CollectionCataloged By
Wafa GhnaimCategory
Ethnographic Collection