Bayt Dajan

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Bayt Dajan (Arabic: بيت دجان‎, or Bait Dajan, Beit Dajan) was a Palestinian village situated approximately six kilometers southeast of Jaffa. It was depopulated in 1948.

1 History
2 Culture
3 References
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] History

The village might have been the Biblical Philistine town of Beth Dagon (mentioned in Joshua 15:41.)

[edit] Culture

Bayt Dajan was known to be among the wealthiest communities in the Jaffa area, and their embroideresses were reported to be among the most artistic.[1] It was a center for weaving and embroidery, and its influence was exerted on many other surrounding villages and towns. The Jillayeh (=the embroidered outer garment wedding costume), used in Bayt Dajan, were quite similar to those of Ramallah. The difference was in decoration and embroidery. Typical for Bayt Dajan would be motif consisting of two triangles, mirror-faced, with or without an embroidered stripe between them, and with inverted cypresses at the edges. There are several items from Bayt Dajan and the Bayt Dajan area is in the Museum of International Folk Art (MOIFA) collection at Santa Fe, USA. (Stillman, p. 66)

[edit] References

Yedida Kalfol Stillman: Palestinian Costume and Jewelry, 1979, ISBN 0-8263-0490-7 (p.66, 67 (ill.))
Widad Kawar/Shelagh Weir: Costumes and Wedding Customs in Bayt Dajan.[2]