Basak Notz

Mar 28, 2024 | artsmidwest.org | Angela Zonunpari |Mandy Shunnarah |Basak Notz

Getting your first thobe is a rite of passage for Palestinian girls, and I’ll never forget when I got mine. I was nine years old when Sedo and Taita—Grandfather and Grandmother in Arabic—presented me with the traditional Palestinian dress. Thobes are floor length with wide long sleeves, usually a cloth belt at the waist, and always traditional Palestinian cross-stitch embroidery called tatreez. Mine had intricate gold tatreez along the neck, chest, and sleeve hems.