Palestine Lives! · Scavenger Hunt
Beit Dajan Embroidery
Tatreez — the living art of Palestinian identity stitched thread by thread.
Original sticker design by Alyssa Polito
About this Motif
Beit Dajan was a Palestinian Arab village southeast of Jaffa, known to be among the wealthiest communities in the area. The embroiderers of Beit Dajan were renowned for their work on intricate patterns, which made the village a major center for weaving and embroidery.
These prominent embroidery styles are created on dyed linen using a cross-stitch technique for detailed patterns throughout the thobe. The distinctly Palestinian embroidery patterns include a cypress tree, Star of Bethlehem, orange blossom, feathers, and almond branch (Irq al-loz). Cross-stitch, fishbone stitch, and satin stitch embroidery was taught amongst Palestinian women and girls, where techniques, styles, and patterns from other villages were shared.
After the 1948 Nakba, Palestinian women and girls continued weaving and embroidery despite their displacement. In 2021, UNESCO added traditional Palestinian embroidery to its Intangible Cultural Heritage List.