Beit Dajan Dress

Embroidery is the Palestinian craft par excellence and has become known worldwide as a symbol of the Palestinian people.Embroidery was applied to various parts of a trousseau that each girl worked on and brought into her marriage. The style of the embroidery identified its wearer as a city dweller, a nomad or a villager and each city and village had their own variation of style and motifs. The village of Bet Dajan, south east of Jaffa, became affluent in the first half of the 20th century and as such had ostentatious styling and its embroidery work was mostly commissioned from professional workshops in Bethlehem. The decoration can be identified by the bottom back of the skirt which is covered with rows of cypress trees. The purpose of the seam across the front is to facilitate maternity.