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To research Palestinian culture is to uncover museum collections rarely revealed, rarely exhibited, often undocumented and unpublished. Collections of Palestinian material culture, like many Palestinians themselves, hold their secrets in silence and in isolation.

How to use this file: collections are listed under region and title, followed by notes on collection background and cataloguing.

The policies which govern public collections differ to those of private holdings, although the two categories often become mixed when collections, such as those researched here, change hands. Some general points can be established which apply to both types of collections.

As is the case with so many ethnographic collections, many of these 19th and early 20th century Palestinian costume collections had their beginnings firmly steeped in their individual collectors' imperialist background. The Middle East was the gateway to yet another form of that Colonial culture collecting gambit that has filled many ethnographic museums. And yet Palestine was a special case. It’s material culture represented not so much a link with current theories of evolution as a direct 2000 year old link with Christ. Palestine's appeal was religion over science, transcending concepts of social Darwinism by the belief that the Holy Land in the 19th century had somehow remained an unchanging land of Biblical presence, a confirmation of the concepts of Western Christianity.

Of course, religion wasn't all, but it is a fact that the earliest collections of Palestinian material were acquired either by the missionary societies (as is the case for the Museum of Mankind's original collection, and sections of the collections of the Pitt River Museum, Oxford, and the Royal Ontario Museum and Textile Museum in Toronto) or by Christians on pilgrimage (the Holman Hunt collection at the Royal Ontario Museum, and items at the Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford).

The missionary collection policies were particularly important in retrospect. In the case of other non Christian regions their policy was usually to collect as a fundraising mechanism, holding exhibitions of ethnic material to promote interest in the heathen they were in the process of saving. The Church's Palestinian collections, however, moved beyond hopes of conversion - although this was still a real issue to the missionaries themselves - and focused on the Holy Land as a visual image. As with Pugin's 19th century principles of church architecture, the Missionary societies' representations of contemporary Palestinian village life came to symbolize the traditional iconography of the church.

Examples abound. In Christian iconography, Mary at the birth of Jesus will invariably be depicted in either a blue dress and white veil (a village woman's standard indigo undecorated working thob, with white headscarf) or in a white dress with red embroidery (the ceremonial dress of the predominantly Christian Ramallah region, the embroidery of which often incorporating crosses or European designs). Men's costume was less regionally specific, but any glance at Joseph and the shepherds will show woven thobs, overcoats and peasant garb, while the wise men appear in Syrian silks juxtaposed with Arabian nights splendour.

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These concepts were further reinforced by the use of the Missionary collections for Biblical pagents, Christmas and Easter plays in "traditional biblical garments". The same images appeared on thousands of posed postcards of Bible scenes. Villagers were photographed working their land, resting at home, even supposedly giving birth in stables, all posed to add credibility to the promise of a peaceful land of harmony, and reproduced, either as tinted photos or line drawing copies, in countless Bible editions around the world.

Image (cover children’s book)

These images became fundamental to artists of the 19th century wishing to depict Christian themes. Painters concerned with the ideas of accurate representation travelled to the Holy Land to see for themselves the landscape and people - and to collect items of material culture later to reappear in their works as signs of authenticity. British artist Holman Hunt, who visited Palestine on three separate occasions, built up what is probably the oldest collection of costumes in a public collection, now held in Toronto, and faithfully reproduced them in his paintings.

Image (Homan Hunt painting)

Unlike the 20th century phenomena of the Western artist using "primitive art" as inspiration, these 19th century paintings were purely descriptive interpretations. The concept of Palestinian costume as a form of artistic inspiration had to wait until the late 20th century, when the political situation in the country resulted in the depiction of traditional costume in art as a rediscovery of Nationalism.

Other amateur private collectors were motivated by wider enthusiasm than religion. To some, the collection of Near East costumes became a hobby pursued whilst on diplomatic postings (for example the Palestinian collection at the Musee L'Homme, Paris), to others, a lifelong love and obsession (the Whiting collection at the International Museum of Folk Art, Santa Fe, the Macdonald collection at the Horniman Museum, London, and privately, the Kawar collection, Amman, and the Munayyer collection, New Jersey) or even as an expression of Nationalism (Maha Saca collection, Bethlehem)

Image (Maha Saca with flag photo).

This commitment to the material is also evident in the work of the two main scholars of Palestinian costume, and is reflected in their museum acquisitions. The late Ziva Amir, of the Israel Museum, Jerusalem, worked in the area of Palestinian costume for many years, publishing on the subject and advising other writers and collectors. Shelagh Weir, at the British Museum's Museum of Mankind, has held a 30 year love affair with the material, which has resulted in the Museum of Mankind holding the strongest museum collection of Palestinian costume in the world.

Each collection of Palestinian costume has its own history, its own strengths and weaknesses. We have long known that the majority of ethnographic collections are invariably collected under non scientific conditions by untrained people, and that "at least 90% of museum ethnographic specimens [have probably] never been studied at all" (William Sturtevant 1969: 632-33). One could probably assume that, in regard to Palestinian costume collections, 95% have never been studied. The following information on each collection helps to rectify this by outlining the history of each collection, exhibition and publication history, access to researchers, availability of cataloguing data and photographs, as well as specific items of note in each collection.

Museum collections in Europe

Museum of Mankind (British Museum), London: The Palestinian collection at the Museum of Mankind is, at over 1400 pieces, the largest museum collection in the world. It’s provenance is fascinating.

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In the 1880's the first missionaries began to settle in Palestine. Two of these missions, the Church Missionary Society and the Jerusalem and the East Mission, collected Arab traditional costumes, which were brought back to England and put on exhibition to illustrate contemporary Arab life .as a form of fund raising (Weir 1989: BMB 34). By the 1960's the average young Arab woman was dressing in full European splendour, and the Church Missionary Society, deciding that the costumes were now out of date, disbanded its collection. Many of these garments were acquired in 1966 by the then Department of Ethnography at the British Museum. Shortly after, the Jerusalem and East Mission presented their collection to the Department (Weir 1969, no3: 45).

Very little information about these pieces in the collections was available to Weir. Certainly none exists today. The archives of the CMS Exhibition Department, of which the costumes were a part, hold nothing (Rosemary Keen, Archivist, CMS, to Allenby 24 April 1992). There are two 19th century record books listing items "presented to CMS for use in exhibitions...(in) Canada, China and Japan", but no mention of Palestine. Keen, who took over in 1960 as Archivist, requested other volumes, but none were ever seen.

Keen writes that the history of the CMS collection is "obscure" as "before there was an official Exhibition department at headquarters there were semi autonomous bodies, such as the Missionary Leaves Assoc, which supported the Society, but acted on their own. The MLA began to organize exhibitions in 1882 and used costumes from fairly early on"(ibid). Keen was personally interested in the collection, and would have caught any references to the collection at the time. The CMS has held no costumes since the hand over to the Museum of Mankind in 1968.

To try to establish information on the costumes Shelagh Weir, Assistant Keeper for the Middle East collections, was sent to the Near East on behalf of the museum, to salvage what information she could from the older generations who remembered, and to fill in any gaps in the collection with what ever items could be found.

Some 30 years on, Weir has become the main authority on Palestinian costume, and the first museum curator to bring the costumes to public notice. She published her original findings in a1969 article, followed by two monographs in 1970, and a further article in 1973. Her first exhibition on the subject was one of the inaugural exhibitions at the Museum of Mankind, when it moved to its premises in Burlington Gardens in 1970. In 1976 she published The Bedouin in conjunction with her exhibition "Nomad and City" at the Museum of Mankind, held during the World of Islam festival. Her aim with the exhibition was to present beduoin objects as material culture items within their own domestic context, a new approach at the time: "people can wonder at objects; but they can relate to other people. There is a great deal we can do visually to exploit the interest human beings take in other cultures and to promote greater tolerance" (ibid). She then turned to planning a major exhibition of the Palestinian material, and a major monograph.

That exhibition, simply titled "Palestinian Costume", opened in 1989, its emphasis being on costume as language, the exhibition revealing the codes and symbolism of that language. "Wherever possible, explanations are provided of the way in which the different garments, the materials they are made from, their colours and the way they are decorated express various aspects of people's social position - their age, marital status, wealth and local origins. The exhibition also illustrates how, contrary to the common belief that "folk" costume was relatively unchanging, village dress was and still is subject to constant changes in fashion"(Weir, BMSB 1989:34).

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Weir described the exhibition as more ambitious than her 1970 exhibition, wanting more costumes, fewer glass cases and an exhibition hall specially structured to emulate the terraces of Palestine. She drew her exhibits from the 19th century to late 20th century, the best and richest costumes with the most variety of design.

Three of the museum's main galleries were used. The exhibition entrance was through a small area introducing the main materials from which the costumes were made. The first gallery included a section on the wedding, the key event in understanding the symbolic language of women’s costume. Costumes were displayed on 2D forms as well as mannequins for the bride, and for examples of men's costumes. Displays of jewellery and items such as basketry, wooden trousseau chests, and headdresses were included in cases in this gallery. The remainder of the exhibition was in two large galleries displaying costumes in regional groups, again both on 2D display forms and manniquins. Differentiation was made between different parts of the century to show change in regional styles. The final display was one of contemporary clothing and embroidery products.

Most of the costumes sat on low plinths that undulated around the galleries like the hills and terraces of local countryside. The same was continued in the arched doorways, and the arches above showcases, echoing traditional designs of village architecture. Photomurals were used to create a feeling of space and place. Weir had noted that one aspect of her 1976 bedouin exhibition had attracted particular attention - that of the reconstructed suq. The 1989 exhibition was therefore planned to include evocative elements such as the infusion into the exhibition space of distinctive Arab scents of coffee, cardamom and cloves. A rest area was also planned for the second room, depicting reproductions of paintings illustrating Palestinian costume, plus contemporary works, and reference books. For those wanting to examine the costumes further, an activities room, located at the end of the exhibition, contained loaned costumes from the collections of the Church's Ministry among the Jews. The activities room was also planned to be used by the museum's education department.

The majority of these goals were actually achieved - only the sense of smell was abandoned. Some curatorial compromise was also made, with the display of contemporary pieces being greatly reduced.

A particularly important aspect of the exhibition was it's educational program, a first for a Palestinian exhibition. The Museum of Mankind now attaches educational programs to most of their major exhibition projects. Weir noted that an objective of the museum was "to show that the cultures presented are not just fossilized remnants from the past, but living breathing entities today" (Gurtz 36).

The educational program for "Palestinian costume" was impressive.

Family events were organized, as were films, lectures and special events. For example, events coordinated for the months of May and June 1990 included a series of evening lectures each Wednesday ("The Bedouin of the Negev today" - Professor E Marx, Oxford University, "What Tradition means to Palestinians today" - Dima Abdulrahin, London University, "Traditional Palestinian Medicine" - Dr Ghada Karmi, Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine, and "Custom and costume in 19th century Palestine " - Dawaud El-Alami, University of Kent), as well as special Saturday afternoon events (an embroidery and drawing session, storytelling (folktales for the children, and the stories behind the folktales for adults) and two workshops (on patchwork, for adults, using the costumes as inspiration - material provided). All events were free.

"Touch" sessions, a chance to handle the collection of costumes on loan from the Church's Ministry among the Jews’, were often organized to coincide with holidays, such as Easter 1990. These could be booked in advance, for 30 people maximum. Interestingly, reticence to touch the costumes was noted by one critic, whose 6th form group were not enthusiastic, although the critic noted that the opportunity to touch the costumes" was another aspect of the workshop with great potential for learning"(Hinton 1991: 19)

Over 5000 students took part in school workshops, many schools returning for two or three visits with different groups. Over half the class teachers (secondary and primary) completed evaluation sheets and 99% of these were enthusiastic (Bateman 1991:17) Feed back to the education officers was aided by a questionaire given to all teachers, including questions such as how did you hear about it, and what do you think of publicity, exhibition content, workshop content, materials, timing, etc.

A 42 page booklet of teacher's notes was also made available, designed to compliment Weir's book. This included chapters on costume as language, costume design, maps, an annotated bibliography, and an excellent array of black and white drawings, photos and costumes.

Workshops were held for schools, colleges and adult groups, using the activities room, for up to 30 students, for either a 2 hour session, or for weekday morning or afternoon. School workshops were planned to take a participatory learning approach, encouraging students to work co-operatively in groups or teams, conducting their own researches in the exhibition by taking roles in a preset program. The aim was to look at costume as an artistic tradition, trying to appreciate its meanings for the people who made and wore it, as well as its formal and technical aspects. The programs were planned to be conducted by a teacher provided by the museum with the support and co-operation of the school's class teacher.

Workshops for children 8-12 years were planned to introduce the students to the Palestinian people and their culture by re-enacting the preparations and ceremonies for a traditional wedding, which draws upon the complete range of costume arts. Children were divided into groups to research the roles and costumes of the bride's and the groom's families, as well as learning songs, practicing embroidery and handling and wearing items of costume themselves. They were encouraged to make comparisons with their own and other cultures.

Secondary students were asked to use the exhibition and its educational resources to carry out their own research by taking the roles of journalists, artists and designers working for magazines. They were divided into two teams, one using Palestinian costume to inspire an article on "ethnic" dress for a fashion magazine, the other documenting the social meanings of the costumes for a geographic magazine. By presenting their work in the form of magazine spreads the students were encouraged to compare these two perspectives on costume arts in a debate at the end of the session.

Much of the success of the programs was due to the dedication and enthusiasm of the teachers chosen by Penny Bateman and Ben Burt to represent the museum. Many were Palestinians now living in exile in England, "an important aspect of being Palestinian" as Weir noted in a 1991 interview (Gurtz, p36). "The Palestinians are willing to help if they can, because they feel its an opportunity to share their country with other people" (Ben Burt ibid). Sonia el-Nimr, originally from Nablus and now working on her doctorate in art history, worked as a teacher for the entire exhibition, dealing with groups from 4 people to 80, and all age groups. Her "weddings " were particularly popular with children, although, by the end of the 2 year exhibition, she felt she had been married a little too often (el-Nimr to Allenby 30/10/91). A typical session (5.4.89) would feature el-Nimr as an old woman ,"Samia" ,in Ramallah dress, telling a life story, and acting as a guide to a local wedding.

El-Nimr drew favourable reaction from teachers. A review of an el-Nimr workshop early on in the exhibition was published in Museum Journal in July 1991 by Morna Hinton, formally of the Tate Gallery education department. She found el-Nimr "energetic" and "expecting a high level of verbal response from pupils", and noted that "the class all enjoyed themselves thoroughly and warmed to el-Nimr" (p18) who herself "did the most to break down the group's stereotypes of Palestinian{s}" (p19).

Hinton found the workshop not up to her expectations in other regards because it did not fit in with her planned scheme of work, and noted that problems had been experience by another colleague who had taken through a group of 17-18 year old students who had found the program unsuitable for their ages " to offer exactly the same workshop to third- and sixth- form pupils seems naive" (p19) She also found that the main activity (the collating of the geographic and fashion articles) was frustrating due to lack of time, and despite the plan for discussion none took place - all in all, there was too much doing and not enough looking" (p18).

Her conclusion, however, was not negative. " A museum workshop should not be used as the pivot for any given project. Its value should be assessed not in terms of its content, but with reference to the value of the resource it provides. .When the exhibition contains artefacts from another culture, a member of that culture constitutes a complex and holistic human resource which is particularly valuable and should be taken advantage of, whatever else the workshop encompasses"(p19)

Penny Bateman responded in press to the review, in the same journal, (August 1991: 17), noting "we wanted secondary students to be responsible for their own investigation in the exhibition and for creating their own work." The geographic/fashion article themes were "only an outline" during the session, "a basis for discussion...the magazine project is intended to act as a link between the museum experience and the schoolroom where the work would be continued and expanded" (p17). Changes were made to the workshops throughout the two years - for example, the slide talk was abandoned, for being too long and not personal enough (ibid).

Several other talented Palestinians worked at the exhibition. Aliya Khalidi, at that time researching her doctorate in Arab theatre, worked at the museum on Saturdays as a storyteller, embroidering her folktales with information about Palestinian culture as she went along.."[so this] little girl go[es] from one village to another with her grandmother, taking presents to people and receiving presents in return...very traditional things, like necklaces of jasmine flowers - a very common thing in Lebanon and Palestine..." (Gurtz:36). Reem Abelhadi, working on a doctorate on the political socialization of Palestinian women, taught embroidery to children on Saturdays: "It’s fun, because you see little children, and they come in so excited. 'Is this right? Is this Palestinian?" I love children. And also I feel I am doing something for my country which, to me, is very important" (ibid). Serene Shahid, one of the founders of the embroidery revival in the camps of Beirut and co-author with Weir of Palestinian embroidery 1990, gave embroidery workshops on weekdays, focusing on the changing patterns and recent innovations in design.

The activities room remained a point of interest over the two years, its original displays, with walls decorated with the Arabic alphabet, enlarged photographs of designs, polaroids of children in the workshops and old Palestinian cloth dolls, giving way by the end on 1991, to a range of sophisticated items made by the children - including designer hats featuring cross stitch and couching, detailed black and white drawings and replicas of the original dolls. One school, the Edgeware School and Windsor Girls' School, even held it's own exhibition of material inspired by the exhibition, accompanied by the girl's handwritten texts:

"I went on a trip to the Museum of Mankind to see a Palestinian exhibition. We were set a task to design a make a hat. a piece of work at the exhibition showed me my main centrepiece and I really like it so I decided to use it on my hat" (Julie Davidson, age 14)

" I used a pattern from the museum but changed it slightly. On the picture I tried to pick up on tone and shades of how the material lay around my face. I found the pencil portrait the hardest because of the light and shade of the material as it folded." (Alison Simmons, age 15)

image (installation – students)

These pieces were of high quality artistically and many of the girls achieved A grades in their results. The museum displayed the work, in November 1991, which attracted the attention of the media. (Times Group Newspapers, Oct 24,1991,Palestinian.12, Sue Davis, "Designers on show"). The layout was by the education staff, the hats arranged on white stands, other work strung up on the walls, with labels of names of the artists, and photos of students in the various items. Weir, attending the opening, was amazed at some of the work done, commenting on the incorporation of design elements into western styles (Weir to Allenby 12.11.92)

Only a handful of complaints were received during the two years of the exhibition - although, considering the nature of the material, many more had been expected. One concerned el-Nimr, who had been asked about contemporary costumes and the rise of traditional costume as a form of Nationalism. Her response was to point out that it was illegal to wear the colours of the banned Palestinian flag in Israel, so the flags' colours, and other symbols - the flag itself, the Dome of the Rock mosque, the pattern of the kaffeya headscarf - had begun to be incorporated into fashion as a form of rebellion. A member of the adult group asked what would happen if one wore a jumper in the banned colours. The reply was that one would risk being shot. A letter of complaint was received by an unidentified member of the group acusing el-Nimr of anti-Israeli propaganda. Education staff interviewed el-Nimr and requested she perhaps avoid the issue in future.

Reviews were complimentary. One by Akbar S Ahmed, reviewing the exhibition in Anthropology today 7(5) Oct 1991, noted Weir's avoidance of politics, her restraint becoming a powerful and subtle statement (p10). He argued that the exhibition was an idealized view, and that history apparently stops in late 1940s, "like Hiroshima before the bomb" (p10).

The entire collection has been catalogued on computer, a print out of which was made for the Archive in February 1991. Entries list accession number, registration number, ethnic group, general description, acquisition date, and donation details. Many of the best items in the collection were photographed beautifully for Weir’s major monograph in 1989. Photographs of material not included in the book may not be available, although it is worth contacting the Museum of Mankind to check availability.

The Museum of Mankind is currently closed to the public. Further inquiries about their collection may be made through the Archive.

Horniman Museum, London: The Palestinian collection at the Horniman Museum "consists primarily of archaeological material and clothing. The "jewels' in the latter comprise the material from Jan Macdonald" (Ken Teague to Allenby 15 May 1991).

The Macdonald collection was put together with much personal commitment. In January 1961, Reverend S Gleadow wrote to the Director of the Horniman Museum in London, on the advice of the Keeper of Textiles at the Victoria &Albert Museum, regarding a collection of Palestinian costumes "in Jordan, both Arab and Jewish, which was made before 1939 by Miss Jan McDonald, and a friend". Miss Macdonald, now returned to England, "felt that the Arab part of it (which is the greater) cannot safely be entrusted to an Israeli museum, nor the Jewish portion to an Arab museum" (Gleadow, correspondence with the Director, 19.1.1961). Miss Macdonald held about five costumes in England and 50 photos that should accompany the collection. Was the Horniman Museum interested?

A positive response was made on 20 Jan 1961. In reply Macdonald wrote to the curator concerned, Otto Sampson, about her collection and her manuscript, "some 50,000 words on Palestinian dress", photos and drawings, written in Palestine from 1932 to 1939, "written with no religious, racial nor political alignment". She was having difficulty finding a publisher – "it should be available for all", but the Museum was unable to advise on this (correspondence 30.1.61)

In February she wrote to Otto Sampson to say that she held no Jewish costumes in England but had several Arab ones – including costumes from Ramallah, Bethlehem and Nazareth - and some men's clothing, including a Jaffa boatman's costume. Samson visited her and acquired these pieces as a gift, replying on 26 June, that it had been "a rare privilege to meet someone who has taken an actual interest in folk art and costume of other nations". He also took possession of her private notes ("your notes much enhance the value"), and made note on the museum file of the good condition of the costumes.

The collection has never been exhibited or published - the blame being placed on "the usual under funding"(ibid). Cataloguing is very basic. Despite Samson's letter thanking Macdonald for her notes, none are known to exist on the collection - "no background material alas! " (Teague to Allenby May 1991). Cataloguing is by index card. Some of the earlier pieces are better described - a legacy of Shelagh Weir, who worked at the museum in the 1960s. Photographs of some of the collection are held by the Archive. For further details and a checklist of the collection contact either the Archive, or the museum direct at

Victoria & Albert Museum, London: The Victoria and Albert Museum holds a small Palestinian collection acquired from a variety of donors. Donald King, Deputy Keeper of the Department of Textiles clarified their collection policy to Weir in 1967: "we consider costume as a form of applied art. This means we are interested in the shape, cut and make up of the garments, in their materials and techniques (textile fibres, dyestuffs, spinning, weaving, embroidery) and most of all in their ornament, local traditions concerning the motifs and so on" (King to Weir 28.3.67). This policy is still effect in the 1990s.

The collection has never been exhibited, or included in other V&A displays "as far as I can tell" (Jennifer Wearden to Allenby 1.8.91)

Nor published, according to museum staff (ibid) - who were apparently unaware that one Ramallah piece was reproduced in 1989 in Jehan Rajab's book Palestinian Costume.

The museum recognizes that their catalogue details are "less than full" (ibid). What information is available is stored on index cards, and information is very basic. Weir's input can be seen in the occasional use of Arab terminology. Dates only appear rarely, and are probably Weir's work.

The collection includes costumes from Bethlehem, Ramallah and Galilee, as well as some Syrian material. Photographs may be available for some costumes. A checklist of the collection, and some photographs, are held by the Archive. For further information contact the Museum direct

Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford: The collection of Palestinian costume and material culture at the Pitt Rivers Museum is primarily the work of four donors: Mercy Watson, Mrs Watkin Williams, Mrs Margaret MacLeod and Mrs Rachel Hood.

The items donated by Mrs Margaret MacLeod were collected by her father, the Rev A W Hands, a missionary who worked mainly in New Zealand, returning to England in 1887. No correspondence exists on this collection, nor is there any indication exactly when Rev Hands may have acquired the pieces. Mrs Rachel Hood's collection was acquired by her father John Simmons during travels in Palestine, Turkey, Egypt and North Africa shortly before, and just after, World War 1. Mrs Hood could give no provenance for the material. At present, no information is available on the provenance of the Watson collection.

The most important piece in the collection is an intricate and ornate Bethlehem headdress. According to Mrs Watkin Williams, the headdress was collected by her father, General Sir Charles Warren, when excavating at Jerusalem for the Palestine Exploration Fund in 1867-1870. The acquisition of the piece is not, unfortunately, mentioned in the biography of Sir Charles, published by his grandson. The headdress is featured in the only publication on the Pitt Rivers Palestinian material.

That publication - "A Numismatic curiosity in the Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford" - appeared in Seaby's Coin and Medal Bulletin in November 1959, written by Anthony Wootton (vol 11 no. 498, pp398-406). The author notes that the coins originally formed part of dowry for several generations, and that they present a remarkably continuous survey of over 2000 years of numismatic history. A good general description of the headdress is given (coarse woollen fabric embroidered in a checkered pattern with red blue green red and buff wools and two check flaps of same material) and a detailed description of the coins (revealing a large number of gold and silver coins ranging from 5th BC Greek to 19th century Ottoman Turkish, including: Attica owl century 527-430BC, Ptolemy 2 Egypt 256-255BC, Roman Republic, Roman Imperial, Byzantine, Crusader Kingdom of Cyprus and Jerusalem, the Doges of Venice, and coins from Poland, Transylvania, Denmark, Spain and Islamic countries). Wootten was only able to examine the coins around the edges of the headdress, as the coins are, in traditional manner, layered. This remains the only example of detailed research on a Palestinian headdress.

The Pitt River’s collection has been very basically catalogued. Information is limited to index cards on the collection, which appear ancient. Details are very limited, few Arabic names are used and regions are general. Costume identification was made with the help of Ahmed Shistawi, of Oxford County Museum (Linda Mowat, Assistant Curator , in correspondence to Allenby 17.5.91). The collection itself is very eclectic, and includes a tray of miniature turbans (borrowed by Shelagh Weir, together with the coined headdress, for the Museum of Mankind’s 1989 exhibition) as well as several children’s dresses, dolls, shoes, and a variety of headdresses. Some photos are available on request. For a checklist of the collection, contact the Archive or the Museum directly at

Musee l'homme, Paris: This small but interesting collection was assembled mostly by Jacques D’Aumale (1886-1979), a French diplomat who was stationed primarily in the Orient from 1914 to 1938. It includes a Bethlehem wedding ensemble, a Nablus dress made of European fabric, a Ramallah headdress, and a Beit Jallah dress which was bought in Jerusalem.

The collection was exhibited from November 1990 until May 1991, and a small catalogue was published with colour images of the costumes assembled on manniquins.

Ethnographic Museum, University of Oslo, Oslo: According to museum staff the Palestinian collection consists of nine costumes, six female.and three male (Par B Rekdal, Director, correspondence with Jeni Allenby 13 May 1992). However, a study of the checklist of the collection shows over 30 items.

Costumes include pieces from Beit Dajan, Hebron, Beersheba and Bethlehem, as well as several Jordanian pieces. Many of the costumes were acquired by Widad Kawar, on behalf of the Museum, in 1972. Others were donated by the Oslo Friends of Jordan Society, again acquired on Kawar's advice

The collection has never been published or exhibited. Cataloguing details are very basic, which is surprising considering Kawar's involvement. Geographic regions are given, however no Arabic terms are used, and no dates are supplied. The collection has probably never been photographed. For a checklist of the collection please contact the Archive, or the Museum at Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum, Cologne: The museum holds a small collection "comparable [in quality] to that of Mrs Widad Kawar" (Jutta Engelhard to Jeni Allenby 12.12.90). The collection was established after the successful display of Widad Kawar’s large collection which was exhibited in the museum from 1987 until 1991. There is also a small Syrian collection. Both the Syrian and Palestinian textile collections remained uncatalogued in the early 1990’s (Engelhard to Allenby 25.2.91) and it is doubtful that they would have been conserved or photographed.

Middle East

Taiq Rajab - RAJAB COLLECTION

plo collections

oz -

general photocopied information on the various crafts with photos of workattached

west bank - bethlehem house

the museum of bedouin culture

The Museum of Bedouin Culture is located at kibbutz Lahav, in the southern part of Israel, near Beersheba. The area is still populated by bedu, and the recently opened museum "gives the visitor an opportunity to meet their culture, not normally encounered when touring modern Israel" (publicity pamphlet). The museum is part of a larger complex, the Joe Alon Regional and Folklore Center, which focuses on archaeological excavations and research, the preservation of ethnographic material, and the study of local flora and fauna. The bedu museum has an audio-visual room available, as well as slide and reference library. Demonstrations are also available on request - bedu welcome with coffee, weaving and baking.

jordan museum of populat traditions

"We are making the first step towrds reviving our national heritage...our chief aim is to protect and maintain that heritage. Foreignhers have shown interst in acquiring Jordainian hertitage and much has been sold of our remaining nationl dresses, pieces of jewellery, furtiture and handmade articles..we feel sad because a foreinh invader and occupier has intertially raided our heritage..

unrwa

munayyer collection, new jersey

WIDAD KAWAR'S COLLECTION:

ex planned by textile museum washington "Daughter of the needle: traditonal dress of the holy land" scheduled 1984 cancelled six weeks before opening becausefunding not forthcoming from the Jordan Society (Ursula Elend McCracken, Director to JA 7.3.91)

Tareq Rajab

RAJAB COLLECTION

collection also has islamic pottery and glass, musical instruments, silver folk jewelry and manuscripts

various hand painteted iix of costumes by jr?

publications

"To celebrate a quarter of a century of progress" nd - costumes from Arab peninnsular, syria, palestine and jordan

mix of old photos and dresses/garments on white bsackground

minimal labels - jordan, a shirsh from nth jordan

engl/arab

"Costumes and textiles from the T r Museum" 1984

arab and islamic collection

museum possesses growing collection of costume and textiles from 17th to 20th mainly from arab and islamic world. it is hoped that the museum will eventually have them available as a study collection

trying to make as comprehensible a collection as possible, particularly of old designs and embroidery fast disspappearing

nb to continue to expand collection as a record of often excellent workmanship and the hopthat " one day a designer may be inspired by their own long tradition of design and craftmanship"np

book organized by showcases- india, uzbeckistan, Bethlehem syria and jordan, kuwait, syria, ottoman turkey, tunisia

study collection of textiles and costumes being established with entries for afgan j iran t sy sau p

with a few pieces from yemen, uzb and baluchistan

sw had colour photos sent by jr

favoutire 7 hebron given to museum on 1961/62 by hebron family who said it was mothers who was from gaza mix of styles aminly hand work some machine -pl43 in book her favourite piece

1991 INVASION

the museum survived. half the collection had been packed and hidden by the time the Iraqis arrived on 20 February 1991, but not the "jewellery/textile side" (jr, corresp with author 18.3.92) 4 years worth of Syrian costume research lost.

Dar el tifl el Arabi

(Palestinian Arab Folklore Centre, Jerusalem)

This small beautiful museum, located behind the American Colony hotel in Jerusalem was closed down during the Intifada, and opened again in the late 1990’s.

Established in 1962 the Dar el Tifl institute aims to preserve the endangered culture of Arab daily life, by providing a centre for Palestinian research and material cultur – "we hope to reflect the pride our people have in their folklore" ( Hind Husseini, catalogue 1981)

The museum is contained within an old Arab house, and covers several rooms. Installed at a time when thematic displays were popular, the display weaves through rooms and archways, each new room revealing precious cultural scenes: women weaving, making coffee, baking bread, gossiping while shopping; men making shoes, grinding knives, even ploughing. Each group of mannequins is dressed correctly in regional embroidered dress with complete accessories. However, although the displays are good, the condition of the costumes, after long term exposure to light and dust, is becoming a problem.

A catalogue was published in 1981, written by Director Zeinab Husseini, in English and Arabic, with full colour images of both costumes and museum installations. Photography was not allowed within the museum. A small range of colour postcards is avaliable for sale in the museum’s foyer.

A complete catalogue of the collection was not possible, although the finest pieces are illustrated in the museum’s publication. It was also not possible to find out the size of the collection, nor to establish the provinence of the collection.

Israel museum

approx 400 objects (corresp with author 28 May 1992)

curator prepared tp provide info at $2000 for several month project, done in her free time

slides 3.50 each

"would gladly give info but>>>"

weir never actually studied the collection "only been around the store room and peeped into the odd shelf and cupborad" never seen the registration cards (Weir to Allenby 14 July 1992)

her attitute on Goren "less than helpful. Perhaps they think a Palestinian guerilla group is going to do a dawn raid on the museum if they find out what they have!" " to refuse information about the exhibtion and publication history of the collection seems totally unjustifiable"

notes that in collecvtion in the basment of the building isexhibiton on the ethnic minorities ofisrael "much to my suprise, they even refer to them as Palestinians in the rather small labels on the wall"

according to the official policy of the israel museum,not allowed to recognise the existance of the Palestinian entity. Epstein 231)

problems not only me - " despite wires visits to the collection of the im in jerusalem and her exchange of indfo with the workers thers, she omitds the name of the musem from the list of collections of p costumes around the world, whils she mentions less important collections" se 1991 p231. ehstein should know if weir used it, he was the former curatoe, but shows history of trouble

ISRAEL MUSEUM

The Israel Museum possesses undoubtedly one of the finest collections of Palestinian costumes and textiles. It is an irony of history that it is rarely available for either the public or researchers. Exhibitions are few, usually very small, rarely accompanied by a catalogue, and with minimal publicity.

The beginnings of the collection of Palestinian embroidery at the Israel Museum date back to the days of the Bezalel Museum. With the establishment of the present day museum and its Department of Ethnography in 1965, embroidered Palestinian costumes from the various parts of the country began to be assembled on a systematic basis. In 1966 a generous donation was made by Alfred Rubens of London, and in 1967 Ziva Amir assumed the role of adviser to the Department of Ethnography in the field of Arab embroidery.

Ziva Amir was instrumental in building up the collection. She spent much of her life collecting and researching the material culture of the Palestinians. Her publications included Arabesque: decorative needlework from the Holy Land, and The Embroidered costume of the women of Tuba - tradition and modernization in a Bedouin village (posthumous). After her death in 1983, her personal research manuscripts and private collection of Palestinian textiles were donated by her family to the Israel Museum. The museum acknowledged its debt to her and her "impressive legacy of research into Arab embroidery, the product of a life's work" and hoped that other parts of it would "eventually see light" (edot 1:2)

So far the only sign of this has been two exhibitions and one monograph, published in Hebrew only. The exhibition "Bethlehem Embroidery" was held in 1987. The accompanying catalogue was based on Amir's research. The exhibition, held in Margulies Hall, consisted of 15 mannequins wearing full costume, 10 embroidered chest panels, seven folded dresses and complimentary material (such as carved and inlay boxes, painted eggs).

In 1989, the exhibition "Arabs and Druze of Erzat Israel - costume and embroidery" was mounted in Exhibition Hall 14. 19 costumes were hung, nine on mannequins, the rest on perspex rods. other items of clothing were folded on boxes and surrounded by material culture items (rugs, woven baskets, inlay boxes, terracotta pots and embroidered cushions). No catalogue was published, but description labels in Hebrew, Arabic and English accompanied the exhibits.

plo collections

munayyer collection, new jersey

background : this collection is a large private collection of Palestinian costume owned by two American Palestinians, graduates from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, who arrived in the States in 1970. It is one of the few collections that has not remained static, and now incorporates several smaller private collections.

In 1987 the Munayyers decided to purchase a large collection of costumes that had become available on the American market, motivated by the worry that it's dispersal might destroy "a precious asset that belongs to a people who have already lost too much". They hoped to show it to the general public to promote awareness of Palestinian culture, via costume exhibitions, lectures and various events.

Their first major attempt at promotion was to produce a video "Palestinian national costume: preserving the legacy" ,for both individuals and libraries, which featured the costumes on carefully trained "attractive Palestinian ladies", amid a variety of close ups of stitches, patterns and accessories. The English language version was narrated by their daughter . The video recieved good local reviews - "produced with quality in mind..the only sensation that the film cannot express is the incredible feeling of wearing such a masterpiece...the dresses are a tapestry of history" (Freda Teague, the Return, alabama) and was displayed by the United Nations during International Solidarrty Week with Palestinan People in December 1987. The video has been acquired by many institutions including the NYPL, the Fashion Institute of Technology, New York, and UNRWA.

Farah travelled back to Israel and the West Bank twice in 1988 to promote the video, lecturing in Jerusalem, Haifa, Bethlehem, Nazareth, Jaffa and Lydda amonst other venues. Respose was enthusiastic, but a need for an Arabic version was apparent and this waslater produced with the help of Rula Farra, a Palestinian TV announcer.

The Munayyers continued to show the costumes in community events, includung a further display of modelling costumes as part of Arab World Festival in Detriot, and talks at the Textile Museum, Washington, in 1989. Presentations on the collection were also made to weavers guilds, church groups, schools and womens organizations. The couple still find it hard to show the collection without funding, but hope that their work, even on a limited scale, will help reverse the "negative stereotyping of Palestinians in the US media".

The Munayyers continue to add to the collection, acquiring two small collections in the late 1980s, which brought the collection to"almost two hundred dresses and numerous accessories". They recently added a third :

"recently we found out about a collection of Palestinian costume that was put together in the later 1940s -1950s by an American art and mime teacher in Ramallah. The gentleman died in 1970 and since then his wife kept these costumes finding no-one with interest in such a collection. We are in the process of organizing all the collection which includes rare costumes from the late19th century. Included with the collection is documentation about each dress...wher it was bought, what village it comes from..whether they bought it from the original owner and how old is the costume..." (Munayyer to Allenby 15.1 91)

Hanan claims extensive research into the history of the development of Palestinian costume, although she has never published any of her material. Her research is disappointing in that she appears to treat the concept of Palestinian costume as a static style seen in the elaborate early 20th century garments. The Munayyers also claim an extensive library on the subject, but this is not available for public access, nor has it been made available to the author.

Although their commitment cannot be doubted the depth of their understanding of the costumes is a concern. The video was quite general, and despite some close ups, was basically a fashion show of traditional Palestinian costume. A poster size photograph was also released of the collection showing girls in 10 different regional costumes. Many of the headdresses, veils and accessories were inappropriate for the main dress worn.

The collection has never been researched or documented by others outside the Munayyer family. Nor has it been exhibited in any museum situations. A catalogue is not available.

the museum of bedouin culture

The Museum of Bedouin Culture is located at kibbutz Lahav, in the southern part of Israel, near Beersheba. The area is still populated by bedu, and the recently opened museum "gives the visitor an opportunity to meet their culture, not normally encountered when touring modern Israel" (publicity pamphlet). The museum is part of a larger complex, the Joe Alon Regional and Folklore Center, which focuses on archaeological excavations and research, the preservation of ethnographic material, and the study of local flora and fauna. The bedu museum has an audio-visual room available, as well as slide and reference library. Demonstrations are also available on request - bedu welcome with coffee, weaving and baking.

The collection is the product of many years work among the bedu of the Sinai and Negev desert, who are well aware of the need to preserve their material culture before it vanishes. When Allenby began work on the establishment of a display at St Catherine’s monastery at Mt Sinai, she discovered that very few traditional costumes and textiles were left among the local bedu, who all recalled various Israeli collectors purchasing all they could find before the Sinai was handed back to Egypt in the early 1980’s.

The displays are typical material culture ethnographic exhibits, with shop manniquins as models in the various environments. Aspects of the different desert regions are illustrated, as well as general overviews. A full black tent is exhibited, still divided into male and female areas, with a model "at her houselohd tasks whilethe man is preparing traditional coffee" ibid. Means of livelihood are also exhibited - fishing, hunting and herding, etc with artifacts and photographs. Examples of crafts are exhibited. Costumes are exhibted on models, or on walls.

A local bedouin woman, seeing Allenby emerging from the museum in 1997, offered to show her newly embroidered dresses created by women in her tribe. These used a rather stiff grey fabric to construct the garment, with embroidery in the 6 branch style worked in cotton thread. These were reasonably priced, but the embroidery was rough and the fabric of the garment unappealing to wear. She confirmed that the garments were made for sale to tourists, and would not be worn by local women.

jordan museum of populat traditions

"We are making the first step towrds reviving our national heritage...our chief aim is to protect and maintain that heritage. Foreignhers have shown interst in acquiring Jordainian hertitage and much has been sold of our remaining nationl dresses, pieces of jewellery, furtiture and handmade articles..we feel sad because a foreinh invader and occupier has intertially raided our heritage..

our interest in our hertiage on the west bank is equal to our interst on the east bank..." Sadiyeh Wasfi Tel, one of founders

patron King hussein, with help of Miinstry of Culture and Information, and Ministry of Tourism and Antiquties

Bethlehem dress and jacket

area- Bethlehem and surrounding

date - late 19th century

fabric - cotton and silk heremsey striped mauve orange green and black. fabric made in madjal

ebr- couch and stem stitich

thread - importedfrom syria, silk and gilt cords or orange mauve anf green

general discription of dress - one piece malaka work with a belt caled seven kings damascsusstyle Hab Rumman. mbr appears on chest panel, side panels and sleeves. cossists of mainly flower pots and leaf designs andother curvilinear motifs. embroidery on side panels is done on silk aplique.

Unrwa collections and displays

The main collection of UNRWA material culture is now on display at the UNRWA offices in the Palestinian Territory of Gaza. Most of the collection is still stored in boxes and has never been catalogued or displayed.

The museum, situated on the ground floor of one of the buildings in the compound, displays costumes, with correct head gear, on mannequins, on the walls, flat in glass cases, and – for the material that is either damaged or not museum quality – on wire hangers in overloaded racks near the front entrance.

Most regions of Palestine are represented, with an emphasis on local Gaza styles. Each mannequin is accompanied by appropriate accessories. The emphasis is on women’s costume, although there are some male figures, as well as children. Small labels in Arabic and English are attached. Photography is allowed within the museum.

As mentioned above, cataloguing information was not available, and no publications had been produced about the collection. Most items appear to have been donated, but very little provenance is available. The curator confirmed that costumes could be made available for loan if requested.

Palestinian Heritage House, Cairo.

The Palestinian Heritage House in Cairo held an interesting collection and display of costumes and textiles originally assembled with the backing and guidance of Dr Fathi Arafat. The costumes were displayed in thematic groupings, or draped on the walls of the old house being used as a museum. Historical material was displayed together with contemporary garments and ornaments produced by Palestinian refugees in Egypt.

No cataloguing information was available, nor was any publication. Photography was allowed by the curator in charge. The collection appeared to be a mixture of gifts and bequests, together with the odd purchase

The museum acted as inspiration to the Palestinian women who gathered there daily to embroider contemporary products. A room at the back functioned as a shop, where their garments and embroideries are sold (prices in American dollars). The Archive acquired a scarlet woollen bisht with turquoise embroidery

Dr Fathi Arafat confirmed that the Heritage House was a transitional museum, and that he planned to move a significant part of the collection to the new museum he hoped to establish as part of the hospital complex under construction at Khan Younis in the Palestinian Territories (Dr Fathi Arafat to Jeni Allenby interview 1997).

This has now been achieved and the Heritage House has been closed, with only a few items left in Cairo and now displayed in the cultural centre on the 6th floor of the Palestine Hospital. It is a positive step to have the costume collection back on Palestinian soil at Khan Younis. However further moves may be planned, as there is a new building under construction in Ramallah which will be the Headquarters of the Palestine Red Crescent Society (Dr Jean Calder to Jeni Allenby June 2000). There has also been considerable effort to develop outlets for sale of traditional items that are being produced locally (ibid.).

Widad Kawar, Amman:

Widad Kawar’s collection was established in 1950, and includes several hundred costumes, jewellery, accessories and all manner of Palestinian crafts. It covers the period up to 1948, when the "beautiful, rich culture of the Palestinian village was shattered. Some of us tried to collect part of it, save it and preserve it for future generations. While collecting these items and all the information about them, I fell deeply in love with the Palestinian peasant woman and her culture. Each item I collected was an individual creation of art" (Widad Kawar:178)

Kawar's collection reflects her own nature and personality. A Palestinian, she was a natural collector in this medium, with a vast understanding of the culture and many contacts among the fellahin women. She was also aware of the fact that the fashion industry was acquiring - particularly from the refugee camps - large numbers of costumes for sale after alteration to fashional demands in term of cut and design.(stillman:x) Every monograph on Palestinian textiles so far published includes references to her research work and her collection.

Widad Kawar's private collection of Palestinian costumes and embroideries has so far been exhibited in two major exhibitions, in 1982 in Tokyo, and 1987 in Cologne.

In 1982 part of the exhibition was exhibited in Tokyo under the title "Costumes dyed by the sun: Palestinian Arab national costumes".

In 1987 the collection was exhibited in Cologne at the Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museums der Stradt Koln, under the title "Pracht und Gemheimnis: kleidung and schmuck aus Palestina und Jordanien" (splendor and secrets). Interest in the collection had begun in 1985 when Gisela Volger, of the museum, and Katherina Hackstein visited the collection in Amman. Their aim was not only to exhibit the collection but to establish an inventry and produce a major catalogue. The work proceeded under the auspices of Queen Noor el Hussein of Jordan, a former American who has devoted much time to the preservation of local folklore and culture.

The idea of a large exhibition of a rather obscure Palestinian collection of textiles and accessories may originally have appeared as a bit of a risk. However, it fitted into the museums' program of a major series of worldwide textile exhibitions begun in 1982 when the exhibition "Fest der Farben: trachten und textilien aus dem hochland von Guatemala" opened. It was followed in 1984 by "Das andere Thailand: sechs bergstamme Israel Museum Goldenen Dreieck" and "Indonesische Textilien: wege zu Gottern und Ahnen". The forth in the series was "Pracht und Gemeimnis" in 1987.

One of the side issues of these exhibitions which had interested the museum was that with the exception of the Indonesian textile show, all the exhibitions had been of private collections. The Thai collection had actually been bought by a museum after the exhibition. But what the shows ( and the later sales) pointed out was that modern museum institutions simply did not have the capabilities, in terms of finance, personnel, and other resources, to collect and exhibit such collections - they could only, with luck and funding, buy the results. Private collectors such as Widad Kawar thus were seen as the pioneers of their field, capable of putting together collections, often in a short time period, and usually at a time when historically an irreversable break with tradition was occurring (that the very sale of such material onto an open market signifies as Kawar has found in the refugee camps).

The exhibition was a popular one. In the accompanying catalogue a comparison was made between the plight of Palestinian women in adversity and the women of Germany in 1945 (pug: 14-15).

koln 0ct 87 - mar 88

paris 18.10.88 - 19.2.89

munich 1.6.89- 7.1.90

bamberg 1.6.90 - 30.9.90

berlin 28.11.90 - 3.3.91

ex planned by textile museum washington "Daughter of the needle: traditonal dress of the holy land" scheduled 1984 cancelled six weeks before opening becausefunding not forthcoming from the Jordan Society (Ursula Elend McCracken, Director to JA 7.3.91)

A recent article:

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Helping underprivilged through traditional design

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