| Description: | In this piece Siham and Ribhiyeh, through the medium of embroidered motifs, deal with the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory, in particular Jerusalem, a city dear to Siham’s heart, a place she describes as “the… capital of Palestine… which embraces all the ancient cultures of the country...”
Embroidered motifs form an important role in Palestinian women’s life, representing home and land. Siham explains: “In this piece I took the diamond shape, a very early motif which originated from Galilee in northern Palestine as well as Beersheba in the south, and placed them in an arc to represent the famous arches of the old city of Jerusalem. Inside this arch, I placed motifs from different villages in Palestine and topped the arch with a zigzag pattern representing amulets.”
The Cyprus trees from her native city of Jaffa capping the mountains were, she reflects, “symbols of protection from weather elements in the past, now a hope for the protection of Jerusalem and Palestine from occupation.”
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