This paper explores Palestinian costume as a core pillar of Palestinian identity, tracing its roots back over 4,000 years to the Canaanite era and following its evolution through the different civilisations that passed through Palestine. It draws on archaeological evidence and historical records that document early forms of Palestinian embroidery and traditional garments, and shows how the costume preserved its essential features while being enriched by Islamic civilisation, the Ottoman period and the British Mandate in terms of fabrics, colours and decorative patterns. The paper also details the main components of men’s, youth’s and women’s costumes – such as the Qumbaz, cloak, belt, head cover, Keffiyeh and ‘Iqal – and highlights regional and social differences between rural and urban dress, and between garments worn in times of joy and sorrow.
In its section on the “coercive environment and Palestinian identity”, the paper examines how Israeli policies in Jerusalem, along with an imposed model of modernity, are pushing many residents away from wearing traditional dress despite their strong sense of national belonging. It concludes with a call for a stronger official and collective stance to protect Palestinian costume as a living symbol of Jerusalemites’ struggle to affirm their presence since 1967, and proposes designating a global Palestinian Costume Day on which Palestinians everywhere wear their traditional dress to send a clear message: identity cannot be erased, and while civilisation may grow old, it does not die.
