The Jerusalem Region

The Jerusalem area dresses were made from predominantly silk fabric imported from Syrian textile production centers. Some dresses of this area were made from velvet (mukhmal) fabric imported from Europe. Blue, maroon and red velvet fabric was popular for dresses in this area. Syrian fabric used in making these dresses were known as asawri, ghabani and qasabi.

The embroidery on the chest panel, side panels and sleeves of the Jerusalem dress were embroidered  in Bethlehem couching stitch. The embroidery on the side skirt panel and the sleeves was done on stripes of green with red, or red with orange taffeta inserts in Bethlehem-style couching stitch and later added to the dress.
 

 Beit Ania Ghabani dress

Jerusalem dresses have been worn in villages bordering Jerusalem including Silwan, Lifta, Al Malha, Ain Karem, Kalonia, Beit Safafa, Al Ezariyyeh (Beit Ania), Deir Yassin, and Abu Dis. In the 1930s several villages began to use imported European velvet (mukhmal) fabric, and black velvet became fashionable in Ain Karem, and an imitation malak velvet fabric in the village of Lifta.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Silwan dress 

Jacket (Taqsireh)                                                                                                                    

In the late nineteenth early twentieth century, Jerusalem women wore a broadcloth jackets (taqsireh) over the dress made of felt fabric and embroidered with couching stitch. These jackets were made in Bethlehem for Jerusalem area women. After the 1930s, jackets were made out of velvet fabric and embroidered with gold silk thread.

Jerusalem mukhmal jacket

Headpiece

The headpiece in the Jerusalem villages was a small cap (taqiyyeh) embroidered in cross-stitch or couching stitch, and sewn with gold coins.

Veil                                                                                                                                                    

In the late nineteenth early twentieth century, a veil (Ghudfeh) was worn over the cap, made of cotton, and embroidered with silk thread in cross-stitch. The veil was embroidered with predominantly geometric and abstract motifs, like, squares, eight pointed stars, feathers and other motifs popular in this area.

The girdles worn in this region were made of Kashmir fabric similar to Ramallah and other areas of Palestine.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Reproduction of old Jerusalem veil.