Gaza tailor makes 'keffiyeh' face masks - in pictures

Nabil Saber Abu Ghabin is manufacturing face masks from the checkered cloth that he would normally use to make traditional Arabian head dresses

A man puts on a protective face mask made by Nabil Saber Abu Ghabin. EPA

Abu Ghabin steam-irons the checkered cotton cloth he normally uses to make the traditional Palestinian keffiyeh at his workshop in Gaza City. EPA

Many of the face masks are exported to Europe. EPA

Abu Ghabin in his workshop in Gaza City. EPA

The 60-year-old tailor has reoriented his production to manufacture face masks. EPA

Abu Ghabin at his sewing machine. EPA

Abu Ghabin cuts up the checkered cotton cloth. EPA

A boy wears one of Abu Ghabin's creations. EPA

Necessity is the mother of invention, as the saying goes.

And as tailors and clothing brands around the world, both large and small, have seen orders dry up as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, many have shifted their focus onto one item that is still in demand – the face mask.

Nabil Saber Abu Ghabin is no different. In his workshop in Gaza City, the 60-year-old tailor has reorientated his production to manufacture face masks from the cotton checkered cloth that he would normally use to make traditional Palestinian keffiyeh.

The traditional Arabian head dress, a longstanding symbol of Palestinian resistance, is now being reconfigured into a potentially life-saving accessory.

Many of Abu Ghabin’s masks are being exported to Europe.