13 July 2025

On Tuesday, we went to see an free exhibition in the V and A, Dundee entitled, ‘Thread Memory: Embroidery from Palestine’. It was an exploration and a celebration of the exquisite craftsmanship which is put into the creation of Palestinian dresses and jackets. A preliminary panel explains:

‘Tatreez is an ancient practice of elaborate hand-embroidery, and each region of Palestine has its own distinct and identifiable style making embroidery a language as much as a craft. For centuries, a Palestinian woman’s dress – its cut, colour, textiles, stitches and motifs – reflected her life story.

Written into garments are the signs of youth or grief, the marks of motherhood and rural life, as well as the traces of social, political and economic change in Palestine, from the late nineteenth century to the present.’

This year marks the forty-fifth anniversary of the twinning established between Dundee and Nablus. They are comparable cities in terms of population. Nablus is north of Jerusalem in the West Bank. Even when the Palestinian flag was outlawed in Israel, it was still flown in Dundee!

One of the most moving exhibits in the exhibition was a thobe made for a little girl. It was on display in the Rafah Museum in Gaza. The museum’s collection was largely destroyed by an Israeli bomb in 2023. The force of the explosion threw the dress onto the roof where it was inaccessible for some eight months.

The violence of the bombing, the damage caused by wind and rain are evident in the garment. It reminds us of two things. Firstly, the meaningless destruction of the rich cultural heritage of the Palestinians. Secondly, the intelligence, skill and pride of the women and children who once inhabited these strikingly dignified and elegantly created  garments.