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A Gift to World Leaders
Palestine Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, in attendance
at the 66th session of the General Assembly of
the United Nations, presented "Traditional Palestinian
Costume: Origins and Evolution" by Hanan Karaman
Munayyer to each of the world leaders as a gift from the
Palestinian Authority. The historical and cultural
significance of the book provided a meaningful depiction of
the Arab people at the momentous U.N. event.
The Palestinian Authority purchased 50 copies of the book,
and another 100 copies were made available to President
Abbas through the generous donations of Basem and Muna
Hishmeh, Dr. Saif Titi of New Jersey and Dr. George Assousa
of the United Kingdom.
The Palestinian Heritage Foundation would like to sincerely
thank Dr. Titi, Basem and Muna Hishmeh and Dr. Assousa for
their kindness and generosity in making this dream a
reality.
English translation of letter
from
President Mahmoud Abbas to the Munayyers
Dear Hanan and Farah Munayyer
Palestinian Heritage Foundation
Greetings,
On behalf of myself and the Palestinian
people I would like to congratulate you both for the great
and valuable effort in producing the book "Traditional
Palestinian Costume: Origins and Evolution". No doubt, it is
a unique achievement that preserves the Palestinian heritage
of which we are all proud.
My admiration and appreciation of this
work were the basis for my decision to gift this publication to world leaders during my
stay in New York to attend the 66th session of the United
Nations General Assembly. In this respect, I would like to
thank you for your efforts in making so many copies
available for this endeavor, and to thank the generous
donors for their valued participation in this effort.
My congratulations and best wishes,
Ramallah, September 26, 2011
Mahmoud Abbas, President
Palestine Authority
State of Palestine
PLO Executive Committee
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The American Task Force on Palestine
Honored Hanan Munayyer
The American
Task Force on Palestine (ATFP) honored Hanan Karaman
Munayyer with the Excellence in Arts Scholarship Award for
her book "Traditional Palestinian Costume: Origins and
Evolution" at the ATFP 6th Annual Gala held on October
19th, 2011 at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in
Washington, D.C.
The ATFP recognized the book as not only a major
contribution to preserving Palestinian cultural heritage,
but also as a means to build bridges and dialogue with
fellow Americans on the history of the Arab people. The
award was honored Hanan's “invaluable contribution to the
advancement of the Palestinian-American community through
her tireless efforts and significant achievement”.
This year's theme: "Honoring Heritage, Embracing
Originality" showcased Palestinian culture by celebrating
and expressing public appreciation for talented Palestinian
Americans who have enriched America through unique
achievement and remarkable scholarly accomplishment.
At the request of the ATFP, the Foundation held an exhibit
at the event that consisted of Palestinian costumes, pillows
and veils, representing the different regions of Palestine,
including Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Ramallah, Jaffa, El Khalil,
Gaza and Beer Es Sabe.
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From left: Prime Minister Salam
Fayyad during his visit to PHF display, Mr. Fayyad with Hanan and Farah Munayyer, Hanan autographing her
book, and the Award presentation
To
see full content of the presentation of Award click link below, then scroll down
and click Hanan Karaman Munayyer
http://www.americantaskforce.org/atfp_sixth_annual_gala
Palestinian Heritage Foundation
display at ATFP
Gala October 19, 2011
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Lecture and Book
Signing at the Jerusalem Fund
On Wednesday, November 30,
2011 Hanan was the guest speaker at the Jerusalem Fund
in Washington DC.
Mrs. Munayyer presented her research on the cultural and
historical significance of contributions from the Arab
world. She presented an exhaustive and up-to-date study of
the origins of Palestinian embroidery and costume, from
antiq
uity,
to medieval Arab textile arts, to modern day. The
presentation commenced with scholarly exploration into art
history, archaeology, the interpretation of ancient
patterns, and dove into the history of costumes and craft in
the Middle East over the last 4,000 years. The lecture was a
culmination of extensive research and the culling of museum
resources and publications from around the world.
Following the lecture and Q&A session, Mrs. Munayyer
autographed her book, “Traditional Palestinian Costumes:
Origins and Evolution”, that features over 700 beautiful
high-resolution photographs of rare Nablus and Jenin,
Ramallah, Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Jaffa, Lydd and Ramleh, Al-Khalil,
Gaza and Al-Naqab.
Mrs. Hanan Munayyer was introduced by Yousef Munayyer,
Jerusalem Fund Executive Director.
Click here to view the video of the lecture:
http://www.thejerusalemfund.org/ht/display/ContentDetails/i/32204/pid/223
PHF at the UN Day of Solidarity with Palestine
On November 29th, 2011, the Palestinian Heritage
Foundation participated in the annual International Day
of Solidarity at the United Nations in New York City. The
Foundation was invited by the Committee on the Exercise of
the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People and the
Permanent Observer Mission of Palestine to the United
Nations to share its collection of Palestinian antique
costumes and crafts with the public. The exhibit opened on
November 29th and will last through December 31st,
2011. This is the fourth time the Foundation has presented
the collection at the U.N. since its establishment.
The evening commenced with a welcoming statement by the
Chairman of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable
Rights of the Palestinian People. This was followed by a
speech from Dr. Riyad Mansour, Permanent Observer Mission of
Palestine to the United Nations, and a brief message by
Hanan Munayyer, President and co-founder of the Palestinian
Heritage Foundation. The reception was attended by more than
250 guests, and was followed by a music concert by Simon
Shahin.
Some of the items on display were ceramics from the Isabel
Bacon collection recently donated to the Foundation (see
below).
Click image to enlarge
Three left photos
courtesy of United Nation Photo/Rick Bajornas
Holy Land Museum Collection Donated to Foundation
The
collection of the Isabel Bacon Holy Land Museum based in
Pawling New York was recently donated by Rosalie Reynolds of
North Carolina to the Palestinian Heritage Foundation
(see images below).
Rosalie is the daughter of the late Isabella Bacon who passed
away two years ago at the age of 96.
The items
on display at the museum included Palestinian and Syrian
dresses, embroidered pillows, Palestinian ceramics, brass lamps, little dolls and
some silver jewelry. Some of the items were donated to the
Holy Land Museum by His
Majesty the late King Hussein of Jordan after the closing of
the Jordanian Pavilion in New York in the early 1960s.
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Lynn Munn Donovan Donates
Dress to Foundation
Lynn Munn
Donovan, the daughter of Robert and Ethel Munn, has donated
an antique Palestinian embroidered dress to the Foundation.
This dress was one of two dresses that Lynn's mother bought
in Jerusalem when her husban
d
was serving as the United States Consul in East Jerusalem in
the mid-1960s. The dress had long been
a meaningful part
of the Munn family. Lynn presented the dress to the PHF in
Washington, D.C. this past October, saying: "the Foundation
is the best home for it".
Farah first
shared his story of the Munn family back in the June 2000
Foundation newsletter. Below is the link to the article that recounts
his first meeting with Robert and Ethel Munn.
Traditional Palestinian Costume: Origins and
Evolution.
Reviewed by
Caroline Stone
Aramco Saudi Services
September/October 2011
This
spectacularly beautiful production is a major contribution
to recording a critically endangered costume heritage.
Elegantly boxed, with hundreds of splendid photographs, many
of them full page, as well as a small selection of old
photographs, paintings and prints, and images of jewelry and
household accessories, the book is a treasure chest of
information.
The introduction tells the moving story of Farah and Hanan
Karaman Munayyer’s determination to do something
to preserve their land’s threatened cultural heritage. The
couple’s own extensive collection, augmented by gifts and
purchases, now numbers more than 1500 items and forms the
core of the Palestine Heritage Foundation that th
ey have
established
www.palestineheritage.org.
The first section sheds an extremely interesting light on
the origins of Palestinian dress, with illustrations that
show, for example, parallels between headdresses of the
mid-20th century and those from second-century Palmyra, or
embroidery designs from Ramallah and mosaics on the floor of
the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.
Palestine had an extraordinarily rich and varied embroidery
tradition. Not only did each town or tribal group have its
own designs and style, but they were constantly evolving.
The dresses are stunning with every kind of technique—from
counted thread work, to brilliant and modern looking
patchwork effects, to Ottoman-style couching. The book is
arranged by major towns and, although older pieces are
represented, is largely concerned with the dresses in use at
the time traditional Palestinian society was overturned in
1948.
Besides being a valuable resource for the history of
costume, or the identification of pieces, Nathan Sayers’s
photographs make the book a wonderful resource for anyone
interested in design or tempted to try her or his hand at
some of the beautiful cross-stitch patterns.
From the Publisher
Special Announcement
I am writing to tell you about Traditional Palestinian
Costume: Origins and Evolution by Hanan Karaman Munayyer,
a monumental work that my staff and I are super proud to
have published this year. Beautifully designed,
exquisitely-produced, and highly informative, this
full-color, 560-page, boxed, limited edition volume is a
must have for every Palestinian and will make a perfect gift
for lovers of textile arts. We are so heartened by all the
praise we have received and are especially pleased that so
many of you came back to order multiple copies for your
children and grandchildren. It is a special gift they will
cherish for ever. In addition to its value as an important
resource, this book represents nonviolent resistance at its
best. It shows between its covers the intricate stitches of
Palestinian
history and displays on every page the enduring patterns of
Palestinian culture. Most importantly, you will glimpse in
every piece of embroidery the unshakable identity of a proud
people. Newt Gingrich can say what he wants about the
Palestinians being an “invented” people and the peace
process “delusional.” This book will voice a much stronger
message: Palestine was, Palestine is, and Palestine will
be—no matter what Newt and other deniers of Palestinian identity
say.
From the Palestinian Heritage Foundation
The
book reflects the historical and cultural richness of
Palestine and the Arab world through costumes and
embroidery. It presents the most exhaustive and up-to date
study of the origins of
Palestinian embroidery and costume — from antiquity through
medieval Arab textile arts to the present. Also, it
documents the evolution of costume
and the textile arts in Palestine in the nineteenth and
early twentieth century region by region.
We invite you to acquire it
for your personal library and to gift it to family, friends,
libraries and educational institutions.
Hardcover - 10" x 14" - 560
pages - Over 700 photos - Clam-Shell box
List price - $200
Price through Foundation -
$165
Copies autographed by
the author are available only through the Foundation.
Payable by check to "PHF"
at the address below:
Palestinian Heritage
Foundation
P.O. Box 531, West
Caldwell, NJ 07007-0531
For shipping and handling
within the continental United States, please add $10 per
book. For more information, contact Farah@PalestineHeritage.org.
More Reviews:
Hussein Ibish's
review in NOW Lebanon. August 2011
http://www.nowlebanon.com/NewsArticleDetails.aspx?ID=299083
This Week in
Palestine, Book of the Month.
http://www.thisweekinpalestine.com/details.php?id=3489&ed=197&edid=197
The Washington Report on Middle
East Affairs
http://www.wrmea.com/digital-issue/10872-books-traditional-palestinian-costume-origins-and-evolution.html
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