Thobe

NameDress

Artist Artist Not Recorded

Dateca. 1920-1930

Place madeBe'er-Sheva (Beersheba; Bir Seb'a), Historic Palestine, Middle East or West Asia, Asia

Mediumcotton, silk

Dimensionsoverall: 1 M 54 CM X 1 M 17 CM

Credit LineIFAF Collection

Object numberFA.1972.25.12

Collections

Palestinian Dress and Jewelry

DescriptionWoman's. Worn by older women of Tayaha tribe. Black commercial cotton. Embroidered on lower half in blue threads, cross-stitch, geometric pattern.

FA. 72.25-12 Thōb (1920-30) Everyday dress for women of the Tayaha tribe, this is known as a thōb azraq ( “ blue dress " ) because of the almost entirely blue embroidery on the skirt . This indicates that the dress belonged to an older woman . Neither the red qabbeh with its flowers and birds , nor the turquoise cotton sateen yoke with its multicolored flowers ( machine - made in satin stitch ) are typical of this area . Some machine embroidery has been added to the sleeves as well . The brown , orange , and pink cypresses and pines in cross stitch on the sleeves , however , are the original embroidery . The wide embroidered border ( dāyer ) of very fine slanted satin stitches , which runs around the bottom of this and dress no . FA . 72.25-3a , is characteristic of the southern Bedouins and is often referred to as "Bedouin stitch."