Thurs. 1 January 2015 Eman Ansari's home for dinner

 

 Mohammad, Namati, Eman, Mohanned, and Linda. Namati Ansari invited us to dinner at her daughter Eman and son-in-law Mohannad's home in Silwan. Namati worked all day on a lovely chicken and rice dinner and brought it to their home cooked and ready to eat.

 

We brought a poinsettia for Eman and Namati.

 

 Before Eman and Mohnnad married, he bought her a dowry of gold, furniture, and dresses.  This is some of the gold she got.  It is looked on as insurance.  She can sell it for a house, schooling for children, or anything else she deems important.

Eman wears the gold and doesn't just store it.

Eman and Mohannad dressed up to welcome in the New Year. Eman goes to college and teaches Arabic at a Jewish school. Mohannad is a security guard at the Al Aqsa Mosque.

 

Eman and Namati showed me how they tie their scarves. They put one of Eman's scarves on me.

 

The outfit didn't exactly go together

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Mohannad  drew a family tree.  He and Eman are cousins through their great grandgrandfathers  line. It is common for Palestinians to marry cousins. The chart he drew is a work of art.

 

They are each pointing to where they fit into their family tree.