Woman wearing traditional Bayt Dajan jillayeh dress

Description:	Jordan is a country in the Near East, east of Israel. In the last few decades dolls have been made in the refugee camps on the banks of the river Jordan. The YWCA has centers there offering training (for example in doll making) to Palestinian Arab refugee women and girls. Bayt (or Beit) Dajan is a few miles inland from Jaffa. It was once a very influential weaving and embroidery village, famous for beautifully embroidered dresses called jillayeh. Made of black linen fabric, they opened in the front and were embellished with multi-colored patchwork made from taffeta fabric. The jillayeh was an essential part of a brides outfit. In the early part of the twentieth century, jillayehs went out of fashion, but continue to be worn by older women who already owned them.
Source:	http://www.digitalindy.org/cdm/ref/collection/tcm/id/338
Collection:	The Children's Museum of Indianapolis
Rights:	https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/;
Copyright:	Creative Commons (CC By-SA 3.0);
Geography:	Jordan
Subjects:	Dresses Clothing and dress Jordan Jordan--Social life and customs

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