Producer unknown to us
Scarf
Asia, Palestine
1980s
Cotton, wool, paint; woven, knitted, sewn, dyed
Donated to the museum by the Embassy of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in the GDR in July 1988
WAs 2882
In July 1988, the Embassy of the PLO in the GDR presented the museum a number of items for exhibition purposes. They were selected by the PLO leadership in Tunis.
Among them were four wood carvings, a haṭṭah scarf (keffiyeh), also known as the “Palestinian scarf,” which had become an iconic symbol of the people of Palestine and their interests due to its association with Yasser Arafat, who wore them in public. This scarf is made in the typical pattern of haṭṭah scarves. Fringes in the colors of the Palestinian national flag were added to the end of the scarf.
The exhibition of objects charged with symbols of national identity was intended to evoke sympathy among the people of the GDR for “the Palestinians’ struggle for liberation,” as was presumably the case with the exhibition “Palestinian Folk Art” in 1978.
David Leistner, Anika Olbrisch, Annkathrin Richter, Frank Usbeck