The Southall Collection is a major collection of Palestinian Dress dating from 1900-1930. It includes garments and accessories worn by nomadic Bedouin people as well as men, women and children living in Ramallah and Bethlehem.

Coats, coat-dresses and dresses were rarely worn without a belt or a girdle such as this one. The way they were worn and the material they were made of were an indicator of status and of regional identity.This girdle would have been woven by women at home and may have been used as a hair wrap.