Tradition · Questions
What is tatreez?
Tatreez is the Arabic word for embroidery, used in English to name the Palestinian embroidery tradition in particular: counted cross-stitch and related techniques worked on dresses, overcoats, headdresses, veils and trousers. UNESCO inscribed the practice on its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2021.
Tatreez (تطريز) is the general Arabic word for embroidery. In English, and in Palestinian and diaspora usage, it names one tradition specifically: needlework worked into the weave of the cloth by counting threads, alongside couching and other techniques, applied to garments and household textiles.
Until 1948 the embroidery chiefly decorated rural and Bedouin women's clothing, in styles that varied recognisably by region. UNESCO's description of the inscribed practice states that the choice of colours and designs indicates the woman's regional identity and her marital and economic status.
Neither the word nor the stitch is exclusive to Palestine. What is particular is the body of regional dress styles the technique was used to build, and the social information those styles carried before 1948.