Gauze

==Etymology and history==

==Etymology and history==

The English word for “gauze” comes from [[Gaza]], [[Palestine (region)|Palestine]], which has a long history of textile production.<ref name=wc>{{cite book|url=https://openlibrary.org/works/OL1484193W/Palestine_land_of_promise?edition=key%3A/books/OL6464583M|title=Palestine, land of promise|year=1944|first1=W.C|last1=Lowdermilk|page=61|quote=”Silk weaving and dyeing is often recorded. In fact, we read of entire villages in the south which were engaged in the latter industry. It has been suggested that the existence of densely populated cities—Kurnub, [[Al-Khalasa|Khalassa]], Ruheeba, Isbeita—in the deserts along the southern route from Aqaba to Gaza can be explained in part by their industrial activities, especially the unraveling of raw silk imported from India and the weaving of mixed silk and linen fabrics. Our word “gauze” comes from Gaza which manufactured and dyed silks and cotton.”}}</ref><ref name=Cannon>{{Cite book |last1=Cannon |first1=Garland Hampton |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MiNWi1g3fJ4C&pg=PA196 |title=The Arabic Contributions to the English Language: An Historical Dictionary |last2=Kaye |first2=Alan S. |date=1994 |publisher=Otto Harrassowitz Verlag |isbn=978-3-447-03491-3 |language=en}}</ref><ref name=crafts>{{Cite web |last=Abu Khalaf |first=Marwan |title=Textiles {{!}} Country: Palestine |url=https://encyclocraftsapr.com/textiles-6/ |access-date=2024-07-30 |website=The Encyclopedia of Crafts in WCC-Asia Pacific Region (EC-APR) |language=en-US|quote=”Textiles have been known as a traditional craft in Palestine since the thirteenth century. They are of two types: Majdalawi textiles and the yarning textile. The Majdalawi textile originated from the Palestinian village of al-Majdal in the southern part of Palestine, not far from Gaza. It is woven by a male weaver on single treadle loom, using black and indigo cotton threads combined with fuchsia and turquoise silk thread.Gaza also was famous as a centre for fine silk production known as gazzatum. This fabric later gave its name to be loose weave fabric known today as ‘gauze’.”}}</ref> In the the [[Middle Ages]], [[Arab]] traders imported Asian [[silkworms]] (”dudat al-qazz”) to Palestine and the [[sericulture|production of silk]] was undertaken domestically. A particular type of coarse silk fabric that was mixed with [[wool]] was alternatively called ”qazz” or ”bi-harir” and a thin, sometimes almost transparent version of it was used in clothing, drapery and even as medical dressings. Exported from Gaza’s port to various destinations in [[Europe]], it also came to be known as ”qazz” or ”gauze” or ”gaza” there.<ref name=Pal>{{cite book|title=Palestine: A four thousand year history|author=Nur Masalha|year=2018|url=https://books.google.ca/books?id=Cb2rDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT124&dq=indigo+gaza+cloth&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&ovdme=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiajrS7kqyRAxXm_7sIHV45GTwQ6AF6BAgLEAM#v=onepage&q=indigo%20gaza%20cloth&f=false}}</ref>

The English word for “gauze” comes from [[Gaza]], [[Palestine (region)|Palestine]], which has a long history of textile production.<ref name=wc>{{cite book|url=https://openlibrary.org/works/OL1484193W/Palestine_land_of_promise?edition=key%3A/books/OL6464583M|title=Palestine, land of promise|year=1944|first1=W.C|last1=Lowdermilk|page=61|quote=”Silk weaving and dyeing is often recorded. In fact, we read of entire villages in the south which were engaged in the latter industry. It has been suggested that the existence of densely populated cities—Kurnub, [[Al-Khalasa|Khalassa]], Ruheeba, Isbeita—in the deserts along the southern route from Aqaba to Gaza can be explained in part by their industrial activities, especially the unraveling of raw silk imported from India and the weaving of mixed silk and linen fabrics. Our word “gauze” comes from Gaza which manufactured and dyed silks and cotton.”}}</ref><ref name=Cannon>{{Cite book |last1=Cannon |first1=Garland Hampton |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MiNWi1g3fJ4C&pg=PA196 |title=The Arabic Contributions to the English Language: An Historical Dictionary |last2=Kaye |first2=Alan S. |date=1994 |publisher=Otto Harrassowitz Verlag |isbn=978-3-447-03491-3 |language=en}}</ref><ref name=crafts>{{Cite web |last=Abu Khalaf |first=Marwan |title=Textiles {{!}} Country: Palestine |url=https://encyclocraftsapr.com/textiles-6/ |access-date=2024-07-30 |website=The Encyclopedia of Crafts in WCC-Asia Pacific Region (EC-APR) |language=en-US|quote=”Textiles have been known as a traditional craft in Palestine since the thirteenth century. They are of two types: Majdalawi textiles and the yarning textile. The Majdalawi textile originated from the Palestinian village of al-Majdal in the southern part of Palestine, not far from Gaza. It is woven by a male weaver on single treadle loom, using black and indigo cotton threads combined with fuchsia and turquoise silk thread.Gaza also was famous as a centre for fine silk production known as gazzatum. This fabric later gave its name to be loose weave fabric known today as ‘gauze’.”}}</ref> In the the [[Middle Ages]], [[Arab]] traders imported Asian [[silkworms]] (”dudat al-qazz”) to Palestine and the [[sericulture|production of silk]] was undertaken domestically. A particular type of coarse silk fabric that was mixed with [[wool]] was alternatively called ”qazz” or ”bi-harir” and a thin, sometimes almost transparent version of it was used in clothing, drapery and even as medical dressings. Exported from Gaza’s port to various destinations in [[Europe]], it also came to be known as ”qazz” or ”gauze” or ”gaza” there.<ref name=Pal>{{cite book|title=Palestine: A four thousand year history|author=Nur Masalha|year=2018|url=https://books.google.ca/books?id=Cb2rDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT124&dq=indigo+gaza+cloth&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&ovdme=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiajrS7kqyRAxXm_7sIHV45GTwQ6AF6BAgLEAM#v=onepage&q=indigo%20gaza%20cloth&f=false}}</ref>

<ref name=Jacoby>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.ca/books?id=rMEtDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT104&dq=sericulture+levant+gaza&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&ovdme=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjh_6CZ6ayRAxVuUaQEHa-JCT4Q6AF6BAgMEAM#v=onepage&q=sericulture%20levant%20gaza&f=false|title=Medieval Trade in the Eastern Mediterranean and Beyond|first1=David|last1=Jacoby|year=2017|publisher=Taylor & Francis|ISBN=9781351583688|quote=”Sericulture, the growing of silk worms, was practiced in northern Syria and in the area of Ascalaon. Cotton, flax and silk fibers were used in textile manufacture in Antioch, Aleppo, Damascus, Ascalon, Gaza and some other cities.” (in the 11th century)}}</ref><ref name=Weir>{{cite book|title=Palestinian Costumes|author=Weir, Shelagh|year=2008|page=28|quote=”Garment fabrics were woven on simple treadle looms by professional male weavers who worked in a number of towns and small villages, mainly [[Safad]], [[Nazareth]], [[Nablus]], [[Ramallah]], [[Beit Jala]], [[Bethlehem]], [[Hebron]], Gaza and [[Al-Majdal|Mejdel]]. The greatest variety of local fabrics, and the finest, were produced in Gaza, Mejdel and Bethlehem using yarns imported from [[Egypt]], [[Syria]] and [[Britain]]. Gaza and Mejdel were the largest weaving centres in Palestine. Fifty looms were operating in Gaza before the First World War, and five hundred looms in Mejdel in 1909, of which only two hundred remained only a few years later. Weaving continued in both places, albeit on a smaller scale, through the [[Mandatory Palestine|Mandate period]]; in 1927 there were 119 weaving establishments (employing 440 people) in the Southern Subdistrict of Palestine, the great majority of which were in Gaza and Mejdel.”}}</ref>

<ref name=Jacoby>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.ca/books?id=rMEtDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT104&dq=sericulture+levant+gaza&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&ovdme=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjh_6CZ6ayRAxVuUaQEHa-JCT4Q6AF6BAgMEAM#v=onepage&q=sericulture%20levant%20gaza&f=false|title=Medieval Trade in the Eastern Mediterranean and Beyond|first1=David|last1=Jacoby|year=2017|publisher=Taylor & Francis|ISBN=9781351583688|quote=”Sericulture, the growing of silk worms, was practiced in northern Syria and in the area of Ascalaon. Cotton, flax and silk fibers were used in textile manufacture in Antioch, Aleppo, Damascus, Ascalon, Gaza and some other cities.” (in the 11th century)}}</ref><ref name=Weir>{{cite book|title=Palestinian Costumes|author=Weir, Shelagh|year=2008|page=28|quote=”Garment fabrics were woven on simple treadle looms by professional male weavers who worked in a number of towns and small villages, mainly [[Safad]], [[Nazareth]], [[Nablus]], [[Ramallah]], [[Beit Jala]], [[Bethlehem]], [[Hebron]], Gaza and [[Al-Majdal|Mejdel]]. The greatest variety of local fabrics, and the finest, were produced in Gaza, Mejdel and Bethlehem using yarns imported from [[Egypt]], [[Syria]] and [[Britain]]. Gaza and Mejdel were the largest weaving centres in Palestine. Fifty looms were operating in Gaza before the First World War, and five hundred looms in Mejdel in 1909, of which only two hundred remained only a few years later. Weaving continued in both places, albeit on a smaller scale, through the [[Mandatory Palestine|Mandate period]]; in 1927 there were 119 weaving establishments (employing 440 people) in the Southern Subdistrict of Palestine, the great majority of which were in Gaza and Mejdel.”}}</ref>