Foreword: “As individuals immersed in preserving embroidery and textiles from the Levant, we cherish those who practice traditional techniques and wish to remain connected with them. You can imagine the horror of learning that one of the last weavers of the renowned Majdalawi fabric of Gaza has fallen victim to the Israeli onslaught on the strip, which began in October 2023. There are no more words left to describe the sheer terror people like him and his family are facing at the hands of the Israeli occupation. They are now internally displaced within Gaza after being forced to leave their home and precious loom, both now buried in the remains of what was once their neighborhood. It is within this context that we delve into the rich heritage of Gaza’s textile and embroidery traditions, shedding light on the steadfast efforts of its people and the broader Palestinian community, wherever they may be found, to preserve and uphold these practices
The busy Market of Majdal Asqalan. (1934 and 1939).. Photo Courtesy of American Colony (Jerusalem) Photo Department, Matson (G.Eric and Edith) Photograph Collection.
Archived by the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.
The proud heritage of a place called Majdal
The name Majdalawi is derived from the town of Majdal Asqalan in Gaza’s historical northern region. The town’s fate following the Nakba resonates deeply with those dedicated to preserving Palestinian heritage for reasons beyond textiles, for ever since, the occupation has continuously attacked some of Majdal’s proudest cultural markers. In July 1950, Israeli occupation forces blew up the eleventh-century Mausoleum of Hussain in Majdal, along with two mosques in the nearby towns of Yibna and Isdud. Looking back at this history is a painful reminder of recent events in 2023, where Israel destroyed the Omari Mosque— the oldest in Gaza, in December. This is not to mention the missile attack on the Saint Porphyrius Church on October 19, 2023, killing and injuring a large number of people sheltering within the sanctuary of its walls.
A Palestinian weaver, tending to his loom in Majdal. (1934 and 1939), Photo courtesy of the American Colony (Jerusalem) Photo Department, archived in the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.
Zionist forces in Majdal Asqalan during the Israeli invasion. (1948)
Photo Courtesy of palestine history on Palestine Remembered.
Palestinian embroidery in Gaza and beyond
For centuries, until the late 1940s, women in Palestinian villages wore embroidered tunic-shaped dresses called thobes. Meanwhile, city women wore clothes resembling European or Ottoman styles. The overall design of a woman’s thobe was a living testament to her identity. It revealed not only the region she was from but sometimes even the precise village. Most village dresses in the central and southern parts of the country had a squared pattern on the chest area. However, especially in Isdud and the northern region of Gaza, dresses boasted something unique: a v-shaped pattern on the chest resembling a necklace, which has become synonymous with Gaza villages. Women from those days referred to the pattern as a qiladeh, the Arabic word for necklace. Seeing it interpreted on contemporary cushions or table runners today invokes strong emotions for Palestinians and other lovers of the culture and its traditions. Our minds become instantly nostalgic for Gaza.
Another sign that a dress hails from Gaza’s rural areas lies in a number of different geometric patterns that may grace its side panels. An example of this is a scissor-like shape called muqass. In spite of their traumatic displacement, women were able to hold on to these traditions, and the embroidery patterns have survived over the years through refugees forced out of these villages into places like modern-day Gaza or Jordan.
A group of women and young kids embroidering fabric at Arab Women’s Union of Ramallah A.W.U.R. (1934 and 1939). Photo Courtesy of the American Colony (Jerusalem) Photo Department, Matson (G. Eric and Edith) Photograph Collection. Archived by the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.
Like most Palestinian embroidery, patterns on the village dresses were made using a cross-stitch in which x-shaped stitches form an image. Many Palestinian women and girls continued to practice the cross-stitch and the unique patterns of each area after becoming refugees in neighboring countries, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip. Talent and enterprise emerged from groups of women in refugee camps who embroidered the patterns on dresses, accessories, and household items to generate income for their families. Inaash al-Mokhaim al-Falastini (Inaash) in Beirut stands as an example that is still thriving today. The association was founded in 1969 to improve the well-being of Palestinian families by employing women to craft embroidered goods.
Screengrab of collector Widad Kawar and Tania Tamari Nasir’s e-book cover, Palestinian Embroidery: Traditional Fallahi cross-stitch. The e-book is available for free download on Tiraz Centre.
Notable collectors of dresses from that era, like Widad Kawar, have played a vital role in preserving Palestinian embroidery. Their documentation and participation in local and international exhibitions have provided invaluable insights into this cultural heritage. They opened the door to a detailed understanding of the distinctive styles of embroidery in which a Palestinian in the diaspora may tell the difference between an embroidery pattern from Beit Dajan in the Yafa area and one from their ancestral town of Majdal or Isdud.
While Palestinian embroidery has endured, the art of Majdal weaving is at risk. A once-thriving network of the weavers in Amman and the Gaza Strip is shrinking, not being able to pass on the techniques to a new generation. Nevertheless, there have been admirable efforts by the Nol Collective in Ramallah to breathe new life into the trade. The clothing brand has been working with some of these weavers to create modern pieces for young people for them to carry their traditions in a contemporary manner.
An endangered craft
Being in touch with one of Gaza’s last weavers of the Majdal fabric has been a source of hope for many of us working to preserve Palestinian culture. Since the craft was passed down in his family, he stands as proof that despite decades of hardship, Palestinians remain as connected to their heritage and roots as ever. Being a son of refugees from Gaza’s historical northern region where this tradition began, he takes immense pride in carrying on with the craft. He frequently references his father with deep affection for having taught him the trade. However, the toll exacted by Israel’s siege on families like his is staggering. Whether it’s the heart-wrenching loss of their home, grieving over friends or extended family members killed in airstrikes, the trauma inflicted on their little ones, the struggle to access food, water, and hospitals, or the loss of their loom and source of pride.
Thank you to Salua Qidan for her invaluable expertise which greatly enriched this article.
Laila Mushahwar
Laila Mushahwar is based in Amman, Jordan. Her educational background has been in Communications Studies. She has experience working as part of humanitarian and development programs and, more recently, in the preservation of cultural heritage. Since joining Tiraz Centre(Widad Kawar Home for Arab Dress) in 2020, she has been actively engaged in researching traditional embroidery and textile from Palestine, Jordan, and other Arab countries.
