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Traditional Costumes from Jordan and Palestine
The
Private Collection of Widad Kawar
September
- October
2001
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Kawar's collection, some of which date back to the 1850s,
are divided into four sections, according to their origin
and use. "After the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, hand-woven textiles
were replaced by machine-made synthetic fabrics" Kawar said
in a previous interview with The Jordan Times.
Woman's costumes of Palestine and Jordan have a long history.
It was not until the 1967 Arab-Israeli war that these traditions
began to lose their importance as many villagers became homeless
after the war. |
The colour of the dress and the stitch patterns not only revealed
a woman's place of origin, but also reflected her status: Whether
she was married or widowed. Women used to sell their dresses
to help their families make ends meet. "I started to collect
costumes wherever I found them. Mostly from their owners, in
order to document them." Said Kawar. "Through my interviews
with owners of traditional garb, I got to know more about the
costumes and started to see the beauty of the simple daily wear
and its function.
" Kawar worked hard to preserve the costumes and their accessories.
"At first, I collected whatever was beautiful, but later on
I began to collect in a more organized and scientific way. I
started collecting according to areas and periods of time,"
she said. In the Palestinian section there is the Hammam (public
bath) costume and accessories. On "bath day" a woman would put
her embroidered towel, silk "Wazra" (a wrap-around), soap and
all her beauty requirements in an embroidered "Bukja" (a bag
made of silk or velvet.) Kawar explained. "Wazras on display
at the exhibition are from Aleppo and Baghdad, while the "Bukjes"
are from Damascus and Jerusalem." Said Kawar.
Jordanian costumes are spectacular and unique. Initially, Kawar
had great difficulty obtaining them. However she soon realized
the only way to do so was by learning more about them before
they disappeared as a result of modernization. In the Jordanian
section, there is a voluminous dress from Salt, made of 12 yards
of black cotton imported from Egypt. The seams are covered with
bright coloured silk embroidery and the dress is trimmed with
bands of hand-woven indigo blue cotton. The women wove their
own belts "Shweheya" from homespun wool. However, during the
1950s, the varied costumes of Palestine and Jordan began to
lose their distinctive character and became similar.
The Jewelry on display was fashionable around the turn of the
last century. "The style changed with influences from neighboring
countries" said Kawar. |
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