Peace Center
The Peace Center for Heritage, which was founded in 2008, provides Bedouin and other Palestinian women an opportunity to show and sell their hand-made embroideries. In the center we also have other forms of Bedouin and Palestinian art, such as jewelry, pottery and woodwork, which are not for sale online. You are very welcome to visit us at the Center.
For more info on the Center, click "background".
For more info on the Bedouins, click "Bedouins".
Embroidery: The type of embroidery on show is called cross-stitch and handmade by the women either in the center or in their homes. The traditional color of the embroidery is red, and it is usually based on geometrical patterns.
In recent decades also other colors are being used extensively, as well as modern patterns. The embroidery is made with fine French thread, which is stitched on small pieces of - mostly - cotton cloth, that are subsequently affixed to the items of choice.
Handmade embroidery requires enormous investment of time and care. To give some examples, a bookmark may take a few hours of work, a pouch may cost a day, a cushion or a shirt weeks, and a dress months.
Location: The Peace Center for Heritage is situated in the Palestinian town AlEizariya, on its main road, next to the tomb of Saint Lazarus of Bethany. AlEizariya is adjacent to Jerusalem, but disconnected as a consequence of the separation barrier between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
Support: The center was started with the assistance of Bir Zeit University, implemented with the help of Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) and it is supervised by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
