Photo: Elis Hannikainen
Lara Salous honours the sustained creation of Majdalawi fabric by weaver Hussam Zaqout, who rebuilds the tradition after repeated forced displacement and erasure.
Majdalawi is a form of woven fabric that originates in the village of al-Majdal, which was uprooted in the Nakba of 1948. It is mostly with a base of black or indigo cotton threads, accented by prominent bands of fuchsia and turquoise silk. Fabrics from the city had poetic names, like Janneh u nar (“heaven and hell”) and nasheq rohoh (“breath of the soul”).
After 1948, the weavers were displaced to the Gaza Strip. Sadly, many weaving workshops and looms were destroyed by Israeli airstrikes. Weavers have also been displaced many times.
Palestinian designer-maker Lara Salous honours the work of Hassam Zaqout, who revived this tradition in Cairo. Hussam inherited the weaving practice from his father, Rafiq, who was also displaced from the city of Al-Majdal during the Nakba in 1948. He and his family fled to Egypt amid the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza and were unable to save any of his looms.
✿ How did you come across Hussam Zaqout?
During my art residency in HIAP, I realised a multimedia art installation titled that I have been working on since early 2025 If Only We Could Bury Our City, presenting my ongoing research on traditional weaving techniques from Palestine. I built on a dialogue between archival references and interviews conducted with the surviving Palestinian weaver, @majdalawifabric Hussam Zaqout. Who carries on the history of his father, Rafiq, who was forcibly evacuated from Al-Majdal city following Al-Nakba. Rafiq insisted on teaching Hussam the Majdalawi weaving so that the tradition could continue.
Photo: Elis Hannikainen
The story is about an ancient cloth roll that Hussam got after it had been circulated among multiple weavers. The story shows one aspect of the reality of survival and the Israeli deliberate erasure of Palestinians and their lives. The video is screened in front of the traditional warp of the Majdalwi Fabric installation, which I followed the conventional Palestinian warping, embedding poles in the sand by the sea, installing the threads similar to the archival photos, but with the clear absence of the physical loom. A third audio sound art that plays in the background of the installation echoes with the rhythmic sound of the loom shuttle, covered with Farid Al-Atrash’s song, and kids playing around.
This project is a continuation of my research I began last year: What do we know about Palestinian textiles? My artistic investigation developed further through the Tadafuq program, and I had the opportunity to realise and present this part of the work during my residency at HIAP Open Studios, a Joint program with the Titanik Gallery in Turku supported by the Finnish-Palestinian Sumud Foundation.
As art curator Micol Curatolo says;
Conversations with elders and fellow weavers are at the core of Lara Salous’ work. Learning from their knowledge and stories, Salous is gathering, documenting and bringing back to life traditional crafts and local materials that have been systematically destroyed by Israeli occupation for almost eighty years. Salous’ artistic practice finds new visual and expressive forms for these traditions, which are mostly preserved through intergenerational memory. Yet, the artist questions if memory suffices in the face of such violence
Photo: Elis Hannikainen
✿ Has this weaving played a direct role in your work? Have you encountered it in other ways (even to wear)?
I think it pushed me more into expanding my contemporary art practice, to weave archival photos, storytelling and yarn in one artwork that tells about the erasure of Palestinians and their means of life.
It also opens my eyes to experimenting with other natural materials that were originally planted in Palestine, like cotton and flax.
I am trying now to get a new loom to weave on and create woven art and design pieces. It is still a challenging procedure within the everyday seizure, and the continued Israeli invasion of Palestinian cities. They have been invading Ramallah daily for the past 10 days: twice in my own neighbourhood. It’s getting hard to focus.
About Lara Salous
Lara Salous is a Palestinian artist, designer, and architect based in Ramallah, known for her dedication to reviving and preserving Palestinian craft heritage, particularly the traditional use of wool weaving in contemporary interior design and art. Holding degrees in architectural engineering from Birzeit University and interior design from the University of Westminster, her multidisciplinary practice blends academic research with socially engaged art, which was sparked by her encounter with a Bedouin community and their ancestral tradition of wool weaving. Through her brand and social enterprise, Woolwoman, Salous collaborates with local shepherd communities and women artisans in the West Bank to create sustainable, handmade furniture and artworks, aiming to reconnect local wool with contemporary life, support the local economy, and use design as a means of cultural resistance and storytelling. Follow @woolwoman_
The Story of Reviving the Majdalawi Loom with Mr Hossam Zaqout
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- Mr Hossam Zaqout in his Cairo workshop
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- Mr Rafiq Mahmoud Zaqout, the father of Mr Hossam Rafiq Zaqout
The idea of reviving the Majdalawi loom began with a decision by the Gaza Municipality to establish the Village of Arts and Crafts under the directive of the late President Yasser Arafat in 1998. This initiative marked the first step toward reviving the rich heritage of Al-Majdal, a town historically renowned for its traditional handwoven textile known as Majdalawi fabric.
At that time, the municipality sought a skilled artisan capable of breathing life back into this endangered craft. The choice fell on the late Mr Rafiq Mahmoud Zaqout — the father of Mr Hossam Rafiq Zaqout — as the most suitable person for this mission. The late Rafiq Zaqout took on the responsibility of reviving the craft and personally built a hand loom, through which he resumed the traditional production of Majdalawi fabric. He continued his work and production until his passing in 2000.
After his death, the work came to a halt, leading to a shortage of Majdalawi fabric and a noticeable gap in its production. This void inspired his youngest son, Mr Hossam Rafiq Zaqout, who had inherited his father’s passion and knowledge of the Majdalawi loom after years of assisting him since childhood. Although Hossam possessed the basic skills, several key steps were still missing for a complete production process. He dedicated himself to research and learning, seeking guidance from elderly artisans and knowledge holders who still preserved the intricate secrets of the craft.
Through perseverance and unwavering effort, Hossam Zaqout mastered all stages of the weaving process and successfully revived the Majdalawi fabric with high quality and craftsmanship. He also trained a number of young people to help preserve and continue this unique heritage.
In late 2023, following the war of extermination on Gaza, Hossam was forced to flee to the south of the Gaza Strip after his workshop and home in Gaza City were destroyed. Despite the harshness of displacement, Mr Hossam Zaqout later managed to evacuate to the Arab Republic of Egypt, where he began once again from scratch — establishing a small workshop and rebuilding the Majdalawi loom with his own hands and determination. From this new home, he continues his father’s legacy and his own mission of preserving and sustaining this authentic Palestinian heritage.
You can purchase Majdalwi fabric through the Instagram account @majdalawifabric
