A young Christian women from Bethlehem, Palestine with the traditional thobe of the Bethlehem region, also called Al Malak or Royal - early 1900s
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The Bethlehem costume is called Royal because it is so rich that it is described as ‘the queen of dresses’ in Palestine. It is made of a blend of silk and linen, woven in bright multi-coloured stripes. Over the dress comes a short-sleeved jacket that glistens with embroidery. With this costume, women wear high, Fez-like headdresses bearing the glinting coins of their dowry, crowned by a sheer Shawl. Religious harmony was demonstrated by the fact that both Christians and Muslims wore the same style, with Christian women adding a small cross on the chest panel of their costumes.