Growing Strong
S titch i ng H is t ory: The Pa lest in ian T h obe by Kowther Qashou Illustration by Ranuka Tandan Women’s fashion in Palestine has evolved thoroughly over time, ranging from the traditional cultural dress, known as the ‘thobe’, to contemporary clothing being worn by generations of women. The thobe has rich cultural roots and is one of the biggest signifiers of Palestinian heritage and history. It traces its origins back to the early 19th century, when village women would embroider dresses, a signifier of important periods of women’s lives such as puberty, marriage, and motherhood. Although the most identifiable thobe associated with Palestine is the black and red one with tatreez (embroidery) around the neckline, thobes vary in designs and colours throughout Palestine, incorporating many different elements and details. These designs, like embroidered patterns, were dependent on status and origin such as where you hailed from, whether you were a villager, Bedouin, or townsperson, your marital status and time period. It is historically and traditionally hand-sewn. Dyed silk threads were traditionally imported from Syria, but since the 1930s threads have commonly been imported from Europe. Dyes were made from native natural ingredients and they were created from a process of fermented herbal mixtures, used to create an indigo colour which formed different shades of blue. Red dye was created from carmine, obtained from the root of the madder plant. Purple and orange tones, meanwhile, were created from mixing indigo dye and madder together, while yellow was made from saffron. To make darker colours, pomegranate rinds were added to the dye. Red is a prominent colour, varying in different shades from the rich red of Hebron to the darker red of Bethlehem, Jaffa, and Ramallah. Thobes from Jaffa would contain oranges to represent the orange trees that the coastal city was famously known for. Jackets were also worn with thobes, also varying in design and embellishments, depending on the region of its origin. Thobes were also matched with stunning accessories, such as jewellery, headdresses, and 10 U S y d Wo C o 2 0 2 1
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