Discover Palestinian Symbols

Two Palestinian men photographed at Dhahiriya near Hebron in 1940, the younger in a white hatta held by a black agal over a striped qumbaz with a leather belt, the elder in a wound laffeh turban

Palestinian Men's Clothing: The Qumbaz, the Lef...

A 1921 inventory of a fully dressed Palestinian villager ran to seven garments before it reached his head. The qumbaz, the sirwal, the abayeh, the four layers of the leffeh,...

Palestinian Men's Clothing: The Qumbaz, the Lef...

A 1921 inventory of a fully dressed Palestinian villager ran to seven garments before it reached his head. The qumbaz, the sirwal, the abayeh, the four layers of the leffeh,...

Olive groves on the hills around Nablus in the northern West Bank, rows of low silver-leaved trees spread across dry terraced ground

The Olive Harvest in Palestine: Mawsim al-Zayto...

In the autumn of 2019 the groves of Palestine gave up 177,000 tonnes of olives in about eight weeks. Mawsim al-zaytoun, the two picking dates that decide jar or press,...

The Olive Harvest in Palestine: Mawsim al-Zayto...

In the autumn of 2019 the groves of Palestine gave up 177,000 tonnes of olives in about eight weeks. Mawsim al-zaytoun, the two picking dates that decide jar or press,...

Hamsa Meaning: The Khamsa Hand in Palestine

The Hamsa in Palestinian Tradition: The Khamsa ...

The hamsa, or khamsa, is an open-hand amulet used across Palestine and the region to guard against the evil eye. Here is what the five-fingered hand carries in Palestinian tradition.

The Hamsa in Palestinian Tradition: The Khamsa ...

The hamsa, or khamsa, is an open-hand amulet used across Palestine and the region to guard against the evil eye. Here is what the five-fingered hand carries in Palestinian tradition.

Palestinian Sunbird: Palestine's National Bird

The Palestinian Sunbird: Palestine's National B...

A small iridescent bird native to historic Palestine, widely described as the national bird of Palestine, and what it has come to represent.

The Palestinian Sunbird: Palestine's National B...

A small iridescent bird native to historic Palestine, widely described as the national bird of Palestine, and what it has come to represent.

Historical Palestinian tatreez in deep red silk cross-stitch on linen, from a Bethlehem thobe.

The Colors of Tatreez: What Red, Black, and Ind...

Why red dominated Palestinian embroidery, what indigo carried in Gaza, and how the thread color on a woman's dress mapped her village.

The Colors of Tatreez: What Red, Black, and Ind...

Why red dominated Palestinian embroidery, what indigo carried in Gaza, and how the thread color on a woman's dress mapped her village.

Handala: Palestine's Refugee Child Symbol

Handala: The Refugee Child Symbol of Palestine

Handala is the barefoot, ten-year-old refugee child drawn by Naji al-Ali in 1969. His turned back became one of the most recognized symbols of Palestinian exile and the right of...

Handala: The Refugee Child Symbol of Palestine

Handala is the barefoot, ten-year-old refugee child drawn by Naji al-Ali in 1969. His turned back became one of the most recognized symbols of Palestinian exile and the right of...