Keffiyeh Pattern
Title: Keffiyeh Pattern (Free Palestine)
Subject: Palestinian perseverance, strength, and resilience
Created: 2023
Medium: Graphic Design
Software: Adobe Illustrator CC
Dimensions: 36″x48″
Concept: Digital recreation of traditional keffiyeh (kufiya) patterns
Palestinian Keffiyeh
Fishnet Pattern: Palestinian Sailors and the Mediterranean Sea
Bold Lines: Traditional routes of natural and cultural merchant exchange
Olive Leaves: Perseverance, strength, and resilience
Articles
“From the scent of heroic ancestors and the fragrance of the past, the Black & White Kufiya (or “Keffiyeh”) remains the most symbolic expression of the heritage of Palestine, and its present reality.
Worn by Palestinian men and women of any rank, the kufiya became a symbol of Palestinian nationalism during the 1930’s Arab Revolt against the British Empire. This reached a peak in 1938, when the leadership of the revolt ordered that the residents of Palestinian cities replace their traditional tarbush hats with the kufiya. The move was intended to create national unity, as well as allow the Palestinian rebels to blend in to the crowd when they entered the cities.”
– Kufiya.org, AN EXPRESSION OF FREEDOM & SOVEREIGNTY
“A keffiyeh — sometimes spelled kufiyya or kaffiyeh in English — is a traditional scarf worn across many parts of the Middle East. Typically, it is either black and white or red and white, featuring different patterns throughout and tassels on its edge.
Wafa Ghnaim, a researcher and curator specializing in the history of Palestinian clothing, told CNN until the 1920s, keffiyehs — also called hattahs or shamaghs — were worn mostly by nomadic Bedouin men in historic Palestine.
Ghnaim, who is a research fellow at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, told CNN in her work she often sees 19th century keffiyehs made of cotton, silk and fine wool, and incorporating white, black, green and red threads.
“All people, whether men or women, wore headdresses in this part of the world. Villagers and townspeople had different styles of headdress than those of the Bedouins,” she explained.
“Bedouin men would fold the keffiyeh diagonally and secure it to their head using a ‘aqal or headrope.””
– CNN, The keffiyeh explained: How this scarf became a Palestinian national symbol
Art File
Download the free vector art file (.pdf, 527kb) Design – Keffiyeh Pattern (vector) 1.
Download the free vector art file (.pdf, 619kb) Design – Keffiyeh Pattern (vector) 2.
Download the 8.5″x11″ print (.pdf), Print – Keffiyeh Pattern I (Free Palestine).
Download the 8.5″x11″ print (.pdf), Print – Keffiyeh Pattern II (Free Palestine).
Wallpaper
You can download this design’s mobile and laptop wallpapers on the Wallpapers page.
Close-ups
Alternate Version
Creative Commons License
This work by David Bernie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. You may download, share, and post the images under the condition that the works are attributed to the artist.
