The Digital Revival of Chest Panels from Depopulated Palestinian Villages: An Art Project When the Zionist movement began luring Jewish settlers to Palestine, they crafted a myth: a land without a people for a people without a land. But the villages of Palestine were not empty. During the Nakba, entire communities were erased from the map, their homes destroyed, their people killed, imprisoned, or exiled. The displaced carried little with them—perhaps only the clothes they wore, and for some women, this meant the Palestinian thobe. These thobes, more than just garments, are living records of a vanished world. Each village expressed its unique identity through the art of tatreez, stitching stories into the fabric of everyday life. In the absence of these villages, the thobe becomes one of the few surviving witnesses to a rich cultural heritage now threatened by erasure. In my own journey to reconnect with the homeland I carry in my heart, I’ve found myself drawn to this legacy. Learning tatreez became a way to touch the threads of history, and through digitalizing these patterns, I offer a bridge between the past and the present. My goal is to make it easier for others to recreate these chest panels, preserving the essence of what was lost. Even if the thobe is gone, the digital patterns ensure that its beauty and significance can be revived by anyone, anywhere. This process has not been simple. Using old photos, I’ve spent countless hours, with immense patience, recreating these panels stitch by stitch. So far, I have successfully brought back to life the chest panels of Khirbit Louz, Na’ani, Deir Yassin, and Lifta—villages whose presence in the world has been forcibly dimmed, but whose spirit remains in each thread of their tatreez.
My name is Tasnim. I was born in Amman, Jordan, but my roots trace back to Jenin. In December 2023, I began learning tatreez as a way to express solidarity with Gaza amidst the ongoing genocide. The desire to preserve and amplify Palestinian heritage became my personal mission, and tatreez offered a way to translate my emotions into action. What began as a personal exploration has grown into a commitment to ensuring that these cultural treasures are not lost. You can find more of my work on Instagram: @tasneemtatreez.
