Gaza - Al Khalil Dress (Early 20th Century)

Clothing/Dress/Costume

-

Museum of the Palestinian People

Name/Title

Gaza - Al Khalil Dress (Early 20th Century)

Entry/Object ID

2022.020

Description

This dress (thobe) is from the villages between al-Khalil towards Gaza. The purple fabric was produced in al-Majdal, a weaving center for Palestinians prior to its depopulation in 1948-1950. It is attached with Managel Ghazawei, a binding stitch unique to the Gaza region. The yellow panel in the front center is made with taffeta, an overspun silk, delicate to touch, with a triangular top of striped Syrian silk. The embroidery is typical of Gaza, however the cut of the dress with the silk panel insert, is typical of al-Khalil styles. The dress incorporates patchwork of around four dresses, with the earliest dress from the (very) early twentieth century. Three of the four dresses that comprise this dress are from Gaza, and one is from Bir Saba, possibly indicating the exile of the wearer. Altogether, the dress is a beautiful showcase of multi-generational inheritance and adaptation, telling the story of a people in exile and dispossession, yet deep connection between generations of women. There are thirty-four distinct patches and fragments sewn into this garment, categorized in eight groupings, that contribute to the final determination of the dress’ origins. Examining each change in fabric and thread helps to construct a broader framework for understanding the garment’s migratory trajectory and the hands who contributed to its making. Not all thirty-four components bear regionally significant characteristics within the Palestinian context of identity and land; accordingly, they have been organized into eight groupings to support a more precise analysis that considers village identification, dating, as well as interpretation.

Clothing/Dress/Costume Details

Article of Clothing/Dress/Costume

Dress

Clothing Sex

Female

Notes

Regarded as a vital component of Palestinian heritage.

Made/Created

Artist

Maker Once Known

Time Period

20th Century

Place

Historical Region

Palestine (Historic) (فِلَسْطِين)

Continent

Ethnography

Cultural Region

Historical Region

Palestine (Historic) (فِلَسْطِين)

Continent

Relationships

Related Places

Place

City

Al Khalil (الخليل)

Historical Region

Palestine (Historic) (فِلَسْطِين)

Continent

Notes

type: component-origin component: chest panel date: 1920s-1930s certainty: approximate notes: group 1 of 8

Place

Historical Region

Gaza (غَزَّة)

,

Palestine (Historic) (فِلَسْطِين)

Continent

Notes

type: component-origin component: side skirt panels, front and back date: 19th century certainty: approximate notes: group 2 of 8

Place

Historical Region

Gaza (غَزَّة)

,

Palestine (Historic) (فِلَسْطِين)

Continent

Notes

type: component-origin component: Back central panel date: late-19th or early-20th centuries certainty: approximate notes: group 3 of 8

Place

Region

Bir Saba (بِئْر السَّبْع)

Historical Region

Palestine (Historic) (فِلَسْطِين)

Continent

Notes

type: component-origin component: Sleeves date: 1940s-1950s certainty: approximate notes: group 4 of 8

Place

Location

Beit Jibrin (بيت جبرين)

Historical Region

Palestine (Historic) (فِلَسْطِين)

Continent

Notes

type: component-origin component: Front central silk panel date: 1920s certainty: approximate notes: group 5 of 8

Place

Location

Al Majdal (الْمِجْدَل)

Historical Region

Gaza (غَزَّة)

,

Palestine (Historic) (فِلَسْطِين)

Continent

Notes

type: component-origin component: Woven purple striped fabric date: 1950s-1960s certainty: approximate notes: group 6 of 8

Place

Historical Region

Gaza (غَزَّة)

,

Palestine (Historic) (فِلَسْطِين)

Continent

Notes

type: component-origin component: back embroidered skirt panels date: late-19th century certainty: approximate notes: group 7 of 8

Place

Historical Region

Palestine (Historic) (فِلَسْطِين)

Continent

Notes

type: component-origin component: red and pink zigzag applique strips date: mid-20th century, possibly 1960s certainty: approximate notes: group 8 of 8

Place

* Untyped Place

Notes

type: assembly date: mid-to-late nineteenth century certainty: approximate notes: The dress may have been assembled at different periods of the mid-to-late nineteenth century, as it appears to have various sewing threads used throughout.

Place

Location

Al Arish (العريش)

Country

Egypt (مِصر)

Continent

Notes

type: travel date: 2011 certainty: precise notes: The components of the dress were already assembled when sold to Rochelle Davis. The dress was transported to Washington, DC with the donor.

Place

City

State/Province

District of Columbia

Country

United States of America

Continent

Notes

type: travel date: 2021 certainty: precise notes: Rochelle Davis donated the object to the museum.