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Tatreez Palestinian Cross-Stitch

Also known as tatreez · تطريز

Tatreez is the counted cross-stitch embroidery of Palestine and nearby Levantine lands, worked in red, green, gold and cream thread on dark cloth to build cypress trees, eight-pointed stars and palm stems in mirrored panels.

Play the previewAbout this tradition
Tatreez Palestinian Cross-Stitch: photograph by Ma'moun Othman
Photo: Ma'moun Othman, CC BY-SA 4.0, source on Wikimedia Commons
Tatreez Palestinian Cross-Stitch: the game in attract modeLive previewPlay

Runs in your browser, works offline once loaded.

How to play

  1. Choose a thread colour and a stitch from the strip under the cloth.
  2. Touch a square to sew it: its twin on the other side of the centre line is sewn at the same moment, as on a real panel.
  3. Copy the small design shown above the cloth, then press Check.
Rules at a glance
  • Every panel is mirrored left to right, so each stitch you place is repeated on the opposite side.
  • A square counts only when both its stitch shape and its thread colour match the design.
  • Three stars need a nearly perfect copy; you can undo or clear as often as you like.

About the tradition

Women across the villages and towns of Palestine and Lebanon have embroidered dresses, cushions and wall hangings by counting threads, with each district known for favoured colours and motifs; the craft is kept alive in homes, cooperatives and workshops.

Origins

A living tradition passed from person to person; it is not tied to a single dated origin. It belongs to the cultural world of Mesopotamia, Levant and Arabia.

Credits

Sources

Get the app

Tatreez Palestinian Cross-Stitch is one of 17 textile crafts in the Textile Crafts of the World app for iPhone, iPad and Android. Submitted to the App Store and Google Play; in review. Store links appear here the day it goes live. One app, many traditions, no account needed.

See all 17 textile crafts in the app

In review on theApp StoreIn review on theGoogle Play

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