{"id":6623,"date":"2017-07-05T07:53:17","date_gmt":"2017-07-05T03:53:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/againstthecompass.com\/?p=6623\/"},"modified":"2025-11-07T20:24:09","modified_gmt":"2025-11-07T18:24:09","slug":"palestinian-scarf-kuffiya-factory-hebron","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/againstthecompass.com\/en\/palestinian-scarf-kuffiya-factory-hebron\/","title":{"rendered":"The art of the Palestinian scarf: Visiting the kuffiya factory in Hebron"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The kuffiya (or keffiyeh) is a cotton headscarf, which is traditionally worn in the Middle East<\/a><\/strong>, woven in a square, with colorful patterns whose actual meaning remains unknown, though some experts claim that they might represent fishing nets from Mesopotamia<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arabs wear it folded into a triangle, with the fold worn across their forehead. The kuffiya has its origin in the Iraqi city of Kuffa, hence its name. It has been used for over 200 years to protect against either the sun or the cold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite being worn by practically all the Arabs in the Middle East, the kuffiya is more popularly known as the Palestinian scarf. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It has been worn by progressive groups of young men across all Western countries and its popularity arose with the beginning of the Palestinian Resistance movement, whose members wore it, while fighting and protesting against the Israeli occupation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There were also celebrities who were rarely seen without it, including the deceased former Palestinian president Yasser Arafat; and Leila Khaled, a woman member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Palestinian scarf became an international symbol for those people who supported and expressed solidarity with the Palestinians. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Hebron, one of the most interesting cities, but also the most troubled in all Palestine<\/a><\/strong>, there is the first and only kuffiya factory to exist in the Palestinian territories. Visiting it is totally free and it’s an excellent half-day trip in addition to the most visited Hebron Old City.<\/p>\n\n\n\n