Session 5: The Ramallah Region: The Village Series with Tatreez and Tea

Ramallah!

Ramallah was an important center of Palestinian embroidery, with distinctive styles that influenced dress traditions throughout central Palestine. Between 1850 and 1948, successive waves of change in fashion shaped the region’s dress traditions and influenced the styles worn elsewhere in central Palestine. The Ramallah thobe, worked in shades of red silk cross-stitch embroidery on roumi handwoven linen, is characterized by motifs drawn from local flora and fauna. Drawing on a range of historical sources, including the writings of Hanan Munnayer, Widad Kawar, and Jehan Rajab, this updated lecture examines the changing fashions of Ramallah, their development and documentation, and their continued significance today. It also considers the embroidered garments of the Qadisha Valley mummies in Lebanon and their significance for understanding Palestinian dress.

Please note that this lecture will be prerecorded and uploaded to The Village Series membership level on or before November 1, 2026. It will remain available to members without an expiration date. New lectures will be added to this membership level monthly. Join me!