What does tatreez mean?
Tatreez (تطريز) is the Arabic word for embroidery. In English, it is most often used to mean Palestinian embroidery: designs stitched by hand with a needle and thread, often built up from many small crossed stitches.
A tradition recognised by UNESCO
In 2021, UNESCO added the art of embroidery in Palestine to its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Its description is a good place to start:
"The art of traditional embroidery is widespread in Palestine. Originally made and worn in rural areas, the practice is now common in all of Palestine and among members of the diaspora."
UNESCO also describes embroidery as a social and intergenerational practice. Women gather in each other's homes to embroider, often with their daughters, and the skill is passed from mother to daughter as well as through formal training courses.
Tatreez and Palestinian dress
Tatreez is closely connected to traditional women's village clothing. According to UNESCO, this usually includes a long dress, trousers, a jacket, a headdress and a veil, each embroidered with symbols such as birds, trees and flowers.
On the main garment, the loose-fitting dress called a thob, embroidery covers the chest, sleeves and cuffs, and embroidered vertical panels run down from the waist. UNESCO notes that the choice of colours and designs indicates the woman's regional identity and her marital and economic status.
Styles varied between regions and between villages, and museums and researchers have spent many years documenting them. If you would like to go deeper, the sources at the end of this article are a good place to start.
What do the motifs mean?
You will often see a tatreez motif given one fixed meaning. The reality is more varied. Names and meanings can differ between regions, families and individual makers, and they have changed over time. The same shape might be known by one name in one place and by another name somewhere else.
When we describe a motif on our site, we try to share what it is commonly called and what it can mean to people, rather than claim a single meaning that applies to everyone.
How tatreez is made
Tatreez is stitched by hand. Much of it is cross-stitch: each stitch forms a small X, and the maker counts stitches across the fabric to build up the pattern. Even a small motif is made of many of these crosses, which is why a hand-embroidered piece takes time.
UNESCO's description notes that the embroidery is sewn with silk thread on wool, linen or cotton. Some areas are also known for other techniques, such as the couched embroidery associated with Bethlehem, where threads are laid on the surface of the fabric and stitched down.
Tatreez in everyday pieces
UNESCO notes that some women produce and sell embroidered pieces to supplement their family's income, either on their own or together with other women. That is close to how our own story began, with Sayil's aunt Fideaa and her embroidery. You can read about it in How By Palestinian Hands began.
Our makers stitch tatreez onto clothing, bags and pouches, wall hangings and tatreez art. The motifs are familiar, but the pieces are made to be worn and used every day.
Hand embroidery, machine embroidery and print
Tatreez-inspired designs are everywhere now, and they are not all made the same way. Here is how to tell the difference.
Hand embroidery
Stitched with a needle and thread by a person. Turn the piece over and you will usually see thread ends, small knots or carried threads, along with tiny variations in the size and tension of the stitches. The front has a slightly raised texture you can feel.
Machine embroidery
Stitched by a machine from a digital file. The stitches are very even and every repeat is identical. The back often has a stiff backing, called a stabiliser, behind the design.
Printed designs
Ink on the surface of the fabric. From a distance it can look like stitching, but it feels flat, and there is no thread on the back.
None of these is wrong, but they are different things, and you should know which one you are buying. When we describe a piece as hand embroidered, the tatreez on it has been stitched by hand.
Sources and further reading
- UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, The art of embroidery in Palestine, practices, skills, knowledge and rituals. Inscribed on the Representative List in 2021.
- Shelagh Weir, Palestinian Costume. British Museum Press, 1989.
- Tiraz: Widad Kawar Home for Arab Dress, Amman. A museum holding Widad Kawar's collection of Arab dress, including Palestinian embroidery.
- The Palestinian Museum, Labour of Love: New Approaches to Palestinian Embroidery. Exhibition, 2018.
