Jillāyeh, Jubbeh, or Durrāʻa

NameShort sleeve coat-dress

Artist Artist Not Recorded

Dateca. 1860

Place madeNazareth, Historic Palestine, Middle East or West Asia, Asia

MediumLinen, indigo dye, cotton, silk, glass beads

Dimensions51 x 37 in. (129.5 x 94 cm)

Credit LineMuseum of International Folk Art, gift of Florence Dibell Bartlett, A.1955.86.920

Object numberA.1955.86.920

Collections

Palestinian Dress and Jewelry

DescriptionFull length open coat, no fastenings. Navy blue with silk applique on front and back. back is fully embroidered below the waist. Red cotton applique at shoulders. There is a row of tiny blue glass beads running across the back of the coat.

Old #3359: Jillāyeh, Jubbeh, or Durrāʻa (ca. 1860) This festive, fitted jubbeh is from Nazareth in the Lower Galilee. It has a collarless neckline and short sleeves. It is of handwoven, indigo blue linen. The yoke, of red linen (black or indigo is more common), is diamond-shaped. The gussets are also of red linen. There is silk heremsy appliqué work in simple patches and patterns along both sides of the front opening and on the sleeve edges in red, yellow, and green. The sides and back of the skirt are embroidered in rows of stems and diamonds. The embroidery is maroon with yellow, blue, green, and white. Buttonhole stitching is used to make a roundel in the center of the diamonds, and cross-stitching is used in the frames. Other stitches in the embroidery are whip, satin, and stem. The changes in the direction of the whip stitches give a beautiful effect to the embroidery. Zigzag rows of blue beads run horizontally on the lower skirt back. Only one row of such beads remains on the skirt. Blue beads are a well-known prophylactic against the Evil Eye throughout the entire Middle East. Length: 127.5 cm. Width: 88 cm. (Palestinian Costume and Jewelry, Yedida Kalfon Stillman, 1979 ISBN: 0-82630490-7)