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In this episode of “This Week in the Middle East,” Dr. Yaron Friedman joins for a conversation about the history and meanings of the keffiyeh. Dr. Friedman reviews the different types of keffiyehs, their origins, the symbols woven into them, and the transformations the head covering underwent until it changed from a status symbol to a charged national and political symbol.
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Names, types, and styles
According to Dr. Yaron Friedman, the keffiyeh has different names in different regions. The literary term is keffiyeh, from the city of Kufa in Iraq. In the region of Israel, Lebanon, and Palestinian society, it is called a hatta. In Iraq and Jordan, it is known as a shmagh, a name that may originate from Akkadian, and in the Persian Gulf states, it is called a ghutra.
There are three main types of keffiyehs. The first type is a completely white keffiyeh, common among fellahin and Bedouins. The second type is a red-and-white keffiyeh, which is today primarily identified with Jordan and Saudi Arabia. The third type is the black-and-white keffiyeh, which has become a symbol of the Palestinian people.
Friedman adds that over the keffiyeh, it is customary to wear an iqal, a black cord made of goat wool. The name of the iqal is related to the Arabic word “aql” (intellect), and it was also used in the past to tie camels’ legs. Today, its main function is to hold the keffiyeh on the head. There are different styles of wearing the keffiyeh and the iqal, which vary from country to country and from tribe to tribe. For example, Saudis tend to let the edges of the keffiyeh hang loose on their shoulders, while Qataris prefer to lift them upwards.
The symbols on the fabric
Dr. Friedman explains that several fixed symbols appear on the keffiyeh. The two prominent stripes on the sides of the keffiyeh are usually interpreted as the two great rivers, the Euphrates and the Tigris. Among Palestinians, however, the stripes symbolize the sea and the river. Other interpretations see them as a symbol of trade routes or Bedouin migration paths.
Another example is the fishnet pattern, which symbolizes the source of livelihood in various regions. Another pattern, of triangles, is often interpreted as ears of wheat or barley, a symbol of agriculture and the fellahin. Palestinians, according to Friedman, interpret this pattern as olive leaves, a distinct Palestinian symbol.
From class history to a national symbol
The keffiyeh was not always a national symbol. During the Ottoman period, Friedman explains, it was a class symbol. The common people, the fellahin and the Bedouins, wore a keffiyeh, while the urban elites close to the government wore a Turkish tarboosh.
During the Great Arab Revolt (1936-1939), which was led mainly by fellahin, the keffiyeh became a symbol of the struggle against the British Mandate. After 1967, when the Israeli government banned the flying of the Palestinian flag in the territories, the black-and-white keffiyeh, identified with Yasser Arafat, became a substitute for the flag and a prominent symbol of Palestinian identity. Left-wing Palestinian factions, such as the Popular Front and the Democratic Front, adopted the red-and-white keffiyeh, not because of its Jordanian context, but because the color red symbolizes communism.
Friedman notes that Jews also wore keffiyehs. Members of the First and Second Aliyah, members of the “Hashomer” organization, and even David Ben-Gurion, wore keffiyehs as a symbol of returning to the land, integrating into the region, and blending in against the enemy. The custom ceased in the 1960s, when the keffiyeh became a distinct Palestinian symbol.
Economics, politics, and the keffiyeh today
According to Friedman, the Palestinian keffiyeh industry was nearly wiped out due to the market being flooded with cheap goods from China. One factory in Hebron, owned by the Hirbawi family, is the last one that continues to produce original Palestinian keffiyehs. Following the “Swords of Iron” war, the factory has experienced a revival. Global demand for keffiyehs has soared, and they have become an international symbol of support for Palestinians and protest against Israel among left-wing activists around the world.
To conclude, Friedman talks about the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. After Argentina’s victory, captain Lionel Messi was dressed in a bisht, a prestigious robe of honor worn by Gulf emirs. According to Friedman, this was the Qataris’ way of bestowing “Arab honor” on Messi for his victory in the first Arab World Cup. The act drew criticism because the bisht concealed the Argentinian team’s emblem.
The original episode, in Hebrew: פריט לבוש ואמירה פוליטית