Tatreez is a Palestinian form of embroidery that carries Palestinian landscapes and heritage in intricately stitched patterns.

Taking inspiration from landscape, Tatreez, traditional to Gaza, often bears the depiction of Cypress trees that grow there.

However, the practice of Tatreez is changing. When the Palestinian flag was banned, watermelons appeared in its place, bearing the colours of Palestine in a different shape.

 

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Tatreez, an Arabic word, was originally known as Fallahi, which means farmer, village worker or tiller of soil.

As a textile practice directly associated with landscape, the practice of Tatreez has become a particularly significant aspect of processing grief, preserving culture and protesting for land back.

AUDIO: University of Wollongong Associate Professor of History Sharon Crozier-De-Rosa shares the political history of textiles, and why this form of protest is so powerful.

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