Preserving Palestinian heritage: creating a textile conservation studio in the Occupied West Bank. A Palestinian Museum X Victoria and Albert Museum collboration

In 2021, Palestinian embroidery entered the UNESCO “List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity,” and the Palestinian Museum (PM) acquired almost 100 traditional embroidered thobes. With International Alliance for the Protection of Heritage Foundation funding, the PM and Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) began a 2-year collaboration, establishing the first textile conservation studio in the Occupied West Bank.

Much Palestinian cultural heritage has been destroyed, damaged, or displaced. PM and V&A staff combined expertise to develop a holistic textile conservation approach, fostering reciprocal learning to safeguard cultural heritage both within Palestine and that which has been dispersed through acts of conservation, documentation, and education.

The conservation studio was adapted for work on textiles, and a one-month training programme at the V&A followed. Three PM staff travelled to London, bringing three thobes for conservation treatment. Teaching covered surface cleaning, humidification, dyeing, stitched repairs, and costume mounting. One year later, a reciprocal visit allowed further onsite training.

After two years the entire collection was condition assessed, over 100 objects fully conserved, and a digital catalogue was made accessible online. Through honouring this heritage and celebrating its resilience, attention can be drawn to the urgency of its preservation.