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Widad Kawar

Widad Kawar (Arabic: وداد قعوار) is a Palestinian art historian and collector of Palestinian and Jordanian ethnic and cultural arts. She has collected over 2,000 dresses, costumes, textiles, and jewelry over 50 years, seeking to preserve a culture that has been largely dispersed by conflict.[1][2] Kawar is known as Umm l'ibas al-falastini—the mother of Palestinian dress.[3]

Biography

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Kawar was born in Tulkarm city to a Palestinian Christian family in 1931.[4] Her family moved to Bethlehem in 1941.[2] Her father Jalil was a teacher and head of juvenile school system in British Mandate government of Palestine. She studied at the American University of Beirut.[2][3]

Kawar has made her collection available for public viewing and has mounted exhibits of Palestinian dress around the world. She has written many books on Palestinian embroidery and is seeking to establish a Gallery of Cultural Embroidery[citation needed] . She collaborated with Margaret Skinner on A Treasury of Stitches: Palestinian Embroidery Motifs, 1850–1950 (Rimal/Melisende).[5] She additionally wrote Threads of Identity: Preserving Palestinian Costume and Heritage (Rimal/Melisende).[6]

Widad is a member of the Board of Trustees of the American Center for Oriental Research. She has established the Tiraz Centre which runs small museum in Amman, housing her collection and dedicated to the preservation of Palestinian and Jordanian cultural traditions.[7]

In 2012, Kawar won the Prince Klaus International Award for culture and development.[8]

Published work

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  • Skinner, Margarita; Kawar, Widad Kamel (2014). Palestinian Embroidery Motifs: A Treasury of Stitches, 1850-1950. Melisende.
  • Kawar, Widad (2011). Threads of Identity: Preserving Palestinian Costume and Heritage. Rimal Publications. ISBN 978-9963-610-41-9.
  • Kawar, Widad; Weir, Shelagh. Costumes and Wedding Customs in Bayt Dajan.[9]
  • Kawar, Widad; Nasir, Tania (1992). Palestinian Embroidery : Traditional "Fallahi" Cross-Stitch. Munich: State Museum of Ethnography. ISBN 3-927270-04-0.
  • Kawar, Widad (1987). Pracht Und Geheimnis - Kleidung Und Schmuck Aus Palästina Und Jordanien (in German). Rautenstrauch-Joest Museum Munich. ISBN 3-923158-15-7.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Widad Kamel Kawar". Rimal Publications. Archived from the original on 16 January 2014. Retrieved 14 January 2014.
  2. ^ a b c ElAshkar, Amena; Ibrahim, Ali; Osama, Nadine (17 May 2018). "Stories of the catastrophe: Exile". Electronic Intifada. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Traditional Costumes from Jordan and Palestine: The Private Collection of Widad Kawar". Darat al Funun. Khalid Shoman Foundation. Archived from the original on 22 September 2012. Retrieved 14 January 2014.
  4. ^ Mattar, Philip (2005). Encyclopedia of the Palestinians. p. 409.
  5. ^ Ziffer, Benny (23 November 2007). "A stitch in time". Haaretz. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  6. ^ "Threads of Identity". Rimal Publications. 18 January 2014. Archived from the original on 18 January 2014. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  7. ^ "Widad Kawar". Tiraz Centre. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  8. ^ "Widad Kawar". Prince Claus Fund. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  9. ^ "Bibliography". Kawar Arab Heritage Collection. Archived from the original on 9 October 2006.
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