Baituna al-Talhami Museum
Encyclopedia
Baituna al-Talhami Museum or the Bethlehem Folklore Museum is one of the largest museums in the Palestinian territories
. It is located in Bethlehem
, on Star Street
.
It was originally set up by the Arab's Women Union (AWU) in 1948, under Julia Dabdoub, as a center for Palestinian refugee
s fleeing their villages to eat, and practice in traditional embroidery
for income. The AWU established the museum in 1979. It consists of two houses of typical Palestinian architecture, which include a renovated kitchen, a diwan
room, a bedroom and an upper floor or illeyeh. The contents of the museum included a collection of traditional Palestinian household items displayed in an old house. The amount of items increased after a campaign amongst Bethlehem's prominent families to donate their traditional belongings commenced. Many items were thus saved from withering away in the basements of homes.
In 1984, the museum was expanaded to include an adjacent old house which had been restored. This new house, according Julia Dabdoub, "is one of the few authentic old houses left in Bethlehem… similar to the house in which Jesus was born." Dabdoub donated her forty year collection of photographs, furniture, and works of art to furnish the upper room or "al-Illiyeh" which shows the life of Bethlehem residents between 1900-1932 in 1992.
Although Baituna al-Talhami runs as a museum, it still serves and employs refugees, as well as host festivals celebrating Palestinian artists, poets and writers.
Palestinian territories
The Palestinian territories comprise the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Since the Palestinian Declaration of Independence in 1988, the region is today recognized by three-quarters of the world's countries as the State of Palestine or simply Palestine, although this status is not recognized by the...
. It is located in Bethlehem
Bethlehem
Bethlehem is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank of the Jordan River, near Israel and approximately south of Jerusalem, with a population of about 30,000 people. It is the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate of the Palestinian National Authority and a hub of Palestinian culture and tourism...
, on Star Street
Star Street
Star Street is a Dutch children's cartoon that was popular both in Benelux and in the United Kingdom. The protagonists were pink big-nosed creatures comically fashioned after horoscopes of the western zodiac and was set on a small star-shaped planet in the outer reaches of the universe...
.
It was originally set up by the Arab's Women Union (AWU) in 1948, under Julia Dabdoub, as a center for Palestinian refugee
Palestinian refugee
Palestinian refugees or Palestine refugees are the people and their descendants, predominantly Palestinian Arabic-speakers, who fled or were expelled from their homes during and after the 1948 Palestine War, within that part of the British Mandate of Palestine, that after that war became the...
s fleeing their villages to eat, and practice in traditional embroidery
Palestinian costumes
Palestinian costumes are the traditional clothing worn by Palestinians. Foreign travelers to Palestine in the 19th and early 20th centuries often commented on the rich variety of the costumes worn, particularly by the fellaheen or village women...
for income. The AWU established the museum in 1979. It consists of two houses of typical Palestinian architecture, which include a renovated kitchen, a diwan
Diwan-khane
The Arabic/Persian word Dewan or Divan , with a range of meanings:diwan, a collection of poetry;Khan, from Arabic and Persian, is a house, an inn, hotel, a chamber, a caravansary...
room, a bedroom and an upper floor or illeyeh. The contents of the museum included a collection of traditional Palestinian household items displayed in an old house. The amount of items increased after a campaign amongst Bethlehem's prominent families to donate their traditional belongings commenced. Many items were thus saved from withering away in the basements of homes.
In 1984, the museum was expanaded to include an adjacent old house which had been restored. This new house, according Julia Dabdoub, "is one of the few authentic old houses left in Bethlehem… similar to the house in which Jesus was born." Dabdoub donated her forty year collection of photographs, furniture, and works of art to furnish the upper room or "al-Illiyeh" which shows the life of Bethlehem residents between 1900-1932 in 1992.
Although Baituna al-Talhami runs as a museum, it still serves and employs refugees, as well as host festivals celebrating Palestinian artists, poets and writers.