From Gaza to Your Home: The Story Behind Every Piece
Welcome to Venus Palestine. My name is Amani, and I am Palestinian, from Gaza. Every item in our shop carries a story, and I want to take you there, to the Gaza artisans whose hands made it.
The Embroidered Wall Hanging
This piece is handmade by five people. Rula and Amani, the creator of Venus Palestine, and I chose the design, the colors, and the materials, and found the women who would bring it to life. The image shows a woman carrying a traditional pottery water jar from the well, the way Palestinian families once collected their water every morning, to cook, drink, and clean. Palestinian heritage carries many songs about these young women in their unique embroidered thob and wide, sheer shawl.
Our artist Hussein, twenty four years old, from Rafah, drew the pattern onto Etamine fabric so the embroiderers could work it by hand. Om Noor, forty six years old, embroidered this design. She lost her son Noor in the 2014 war, at a UNRWA school shelter. The embroidery takes about a week, roughly sixteen hours of work, done from home so the women can earn while caring for their families. The finishing was done by Om Ahmad Abu Sittah, fifty seven, from Khan Younis, who once prepared hand embroidered furniture for the home of President Yasser Arafat in Gaza City.
This wall hanging traveled from Gaza to Egypt, then Jordan, and finally to France, where we opened Venus Palestine. Every motif is unique. No two are ever identical. You can read more about the history of Palestinian embroidery, or explore our Made in Gaza collection.
The Christmas Ornaments
Made by Ghada, thirty eight years old, from Rafah, a mother of seven. We taught her Tatreez Fallahi, traditional Palestinian cross stitch, and she now creates our small motifs: keychains and Christmas decorations, finished by Om Ahmad Abu Sittah.
The Tea Coasters
Each set of four is embroidered on one side with Palestinian motifs by Om Deaa, fifty seven, from Shaboura camp in Rafah, and finished with natural leather on the back by Raed Elsalawi of Rafah. Raed passed away from a heart attack in 2020. His sixteen year old son now continues his father’s work in the same shop. Every coaster carries that love and continuity.
The Palestine Map Wall Hanging
Embroidered with the Basmalah in Arabic, in deep red, one of the most traditional Tatreez colors, framed in the colors of the Palestinian flag. Rula and I designed it, and Nahid, thirty two, embroidered it. Each piece she makes is one of a kind, made with the same care and the same feeling for Palestine that lives in every stitch.
Why Our Gaza Artisans Matter
These are not just souvenirs. Each piece supports a woman working from home in Gaza, preserving a craft passed down for generations. When you choose Venus Palestine, you carry a piece of that story into your own home.