The Palestinian Museum permanent collection

Kohl-maker

A bride’s mirror holder and kohl (eyeliner) maker made of cotton and cloth. It is embroidered with geometric and plant shapes and its tatreez (embroidery) is made of red, black, and orange silk threads. It has an opening at the top in which the kohl bottle is placed, and from its lower part hangs the mirror wrapped in a piece of cloth and decorated with coloured lace and beads. It is decorated with pieces of Ottoman currency.

Iraqiyya

Iraqiyya from the southern Hebron area is a small headwrap made of heavy cotton cloth entirely embroidered with predominately red silk threads. It holds several coins which hang down the sides and are called laffayef or laffalef; they are embroidered with silk threads and end in wool tassels decorated with blue beads. The bride would typically wrap the tassels around her hair or her neck to hang on her chest.

Burqa

A burqa (face veil) from the Bir al-Sabi’ region. The front is made of cotton and embroidered with geometric shapes using a light soft stitch from which two coins are hung. From both of the front sides hang mitwah (chains) of beads and amber ending with a coin. The shakkah, the front piece of the burqa that covers the face is made of Hermazi (silk) fabric and in the middle is a row of Ottoman coins while on both sides is a dense group of silver Ottoman coins. From one side of the shakkah hangs 5 silver chains known as ma’ari.

Ramallah Saffeh

Saffeh (cap) from the Ramallah area made of cotton and fully embroidered with threads of red silk interspersed with other colours. With it comes a white iqal (cord accessory) covered in white cotton cloth to which a piece of velvet cloth was added to the back. From the rear velvet piece hangs 4 large pieces of Ottoman-era currency. At the front of the saffeh is a row of authentic Ottoman coins lined from the inside with a patterned cotton cloth. The saffeh used to be part of the bride’s dowry, to be worn on her wedding day and throughout the days following the ceremony.

al-Quta basket

al-Quta is a basket made of wheat straw dyed with natural colours, including red, and used to store cosmetics. It is cube-shaped with a pyramidal dome with a mirror placed on each of its three sides. Al-Quta is covered from its edges with a velvet cloth from which hangs tassels made of silk that is decorated with colourful beads. In the middle of its front section is a round mirror surrounded by red-dyed straw.

Shambar shawl

Shambar (shawl) from the southern Hebron region which would be worn on the head made of crepe fabric known as dakka, to which is connected a piece embroidered with predominately red silk threads with tassels dangling on the end.