2000 Pieces of Heritage and Counting

Widad Kawar is a Palestinian living in Jordan, during the past 50 years she has collected several traditional clothing from all over the Arab region with a large collection from different areas in Palestine and Jordan. Therefore, Widad Kawar opened Tiraz in Amman Jordan to display her authentic collection of traditional Middle Eastern clothing and maintain the heritage to prevent it from extinction.

Tiraz exhibits over 2000 articles of traditional Arabic clothing alternating them from time to time, over the years Tiraz has exhibited its collection in several places increasing knowledge of the unique culture all over the world. Tiraz exhibits the history of the Palestinians and the rest of the Arab world which was created by the hands of women, and this accomplished as Tiraz is an interactive museum.

When I visited Tiraz a few years ago I was in awe about the several different types of Jordanian and Palestinian thobes that existed as I never knew that there could be such a wide variety. During my visit, I also learned so much about the Palestinian culture and heritage that I never knew before which enriched my knowledge about the Palestinian customs. In my opinion, Tiraz is a mind-blowing place to visit as it makes you realize how life has evolved over the years and how cultures changed as an effect of globalization specifically the Arab culture which through my observations is rich in creativity and art but unfortunately has been overlooked due to the spread of the western cultures.