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This vibrant and intricately embroidered purse is hand-stitched in the traditional tatreez motif for soap (or saboun صابون in Arabic).
Features: Embroidery on both sides, fully lined with a zip closure across the top.
Producer: Bethlehem Arab Women's Union
ethlehem Arab Women's Union aims to preserve and revive the cultural heritage of Bethlehem whilst meeting the economic needs of women in the area. It runs the ethnographic 'Museum of Traditional and Popular Art' and the attached embroidery gift shop. Located in the historic old quarter close to the Church of Nativity, the women refer to it as 'Baitouna Al-Talhami' meaning 'our Bethlehem Home'.
The union was founded in 1947 as a first aid center to care for refugees who had fled their homeland in what would become the state of Israel during the Nakba. After 1972, in response to the depreciating living conditions as a result of Israel's occupation of the West Bank, the women began collecting old dresses, known as thobes, and studying the local embroidery traditions. Today more than 150 women are employed by the center from the surrounding villages of Zatara, Tiquoa, Abu Njeim and Dar Salah. This includes university students who use the income they receive to fund their education.
According to the manager Helen Elousi, Christian and Muslim women in Bethlehem historically shared the common heritage of tatreez and identified themselves by their village of origin rather than their religion. This was done by wearing an embroidered dress with the distinct patterns and colours representative of each village. The Union prides itself on preserving the heritage of Bethlehem and its surroundings through their meticulously embroidered cushion covers, bags, and pouches.
