A Palestinian Wedding dress Thobe Malakeh Abu Warda

Description

A Palestinian Wedding dress Thobe Malakeh Abu Warda
From Bethlehem Early 20th Century

Bethlehem was an important weaving center that produced many fabrics popular throughout Palestine.
these were often made up into wedding dresses.
the thobe malaka or ROYAL DRESS apparently came into fashion in the last half of the nineteenth century.
this material was made of an indigo cotton weft with warp stripes of red, orange and green silk.
the center, front and back, of the dress was a solid indigo dyed cotton.
embroidery was colorful form of couching. this was placed on the sleeves, the sides of the dress and the qabbeh CHEST PANEL
silver and gold thread was used in addition to brilliant-colored silks in shades of green, cerise, red, and purple.
the flower infills were of satin-stitch and the borders were often fishbone. each panel was embroidered and then fixed to the dress.

the last 12 in or so of a melaka length of material had silver or gilt thread woven into the fabric.
this metallic thread was imported from Germany or France.
the brocaded part was always used for the back panel DIYAL of the dress. Inset in the sleeves were triangular silk panels SAWID,
usually green, orange or red.
these were embroidered with Bethlehem couching.
the silk was originally imported from Syria.

very good condition.
1920s