Palestinian Costume Paperback – Illustrated, October 1, 2008

Informational book with some patterns and history

This book is full of great information and photos

This book is an amazing tribute to the lasting legacy of traditional dress as envisioned by the people of Palestine. Traditional people always identify with their form of dress because of its outward identifiable mark of who a people are inwardly. The symbolism found in the images and geometric patterns of the dress design are indicative of the harmony and symmetry that exist within the soul of the 'simple folk of the land' (i.e. the fallaheen; sometimes referred to in translation as 'country folk,' or even 'farmers'). These are the people who are the "salt of the earth," as another expression in the English language would have it. Palestinian traditional dress is that outward expression of an inner call to a balanced and grounded relationship with God and nature, Heaven and earth. Birds of paradise perched on a tree, gazelles bouncing amidst a stylized, other-wordly landscape, flowers blooming in the ether of a space alluded to in the mystical poetry of the Holy Land. Ultimately, when one sits in contemplation of the dress of traditional Palestine, one is unknowingly looking at oneself in a mirror.

I'm an archaeologist with training in researching organic materials and a simple interest and passion for Middle Eastern and North African textiles and jewelry. This book exemplifies exactly how a volume of this nature should be created and produced. I especially appreciate the anthropological insights, the details, and most importantly, the detailed information given with each photograph and illustration. Well done indeed!

Beauifully written....Excellent resource!

A treasure in the Palestinian library.

one of my favorite sources

Thank you so much for such a beautiful book