QF's Education City Gift Shop launches new product line by women of Gaza

Doha, Qatar: Qatar Foundation s Education City Gift Shop has launched a new product line called Ahlam dreams which is a collaboration between Be...

Doha, Qatar: Qatar Foundation’s Education City Gift Shop has launched a new product line called Ahlam – ‘dreams’ – which is a collaboration between Belal Khaled, a Palestinian artist and journalist, and a group of women from Gaza who are currently in Doha for medical treatment.

Khaled initially painted the word Ahlam in Arabic calligraphy on a collapsed building in Gaza, symbolizing shattered dreams and representing the children who perished beneath it. Today, through this product line, his artwork has found new life embroidered in Tatreez – the Palestinian cross-stitch – crafted by the women of Gaza. Each stitch is a testament to the spirit and dreams of a community scarred by tragedy, yet bound together by courage.

Every T-shirt in the product line is embroidered by hand, which takes an artist anywhere between 8-10 hours. A limited number of shirts are currently available for sale in the Education City Gift Shop branches located within the 2015 building (Qatar Foundation Headquarters) and Multaqa (Education City Student Center). All profits go directly to the women.