Wasim Razzouk is a tattoo artist in Jerusalem’s Old City. Ink runs deep in his family. The Razzouks have been tattooing visitors to the Holy Land for 500 years (and in Egypt for 200 years before that).
source/image: Great Big Story
Christian pilgrims flock to Razzouk Tattoo to get a cross tattoo based on one of the designs on wooden stamps that have been in the Razzouk family for generations.
Razzouk is honored to be entrusted to leave such a special mark on someone’s skin. “It’s almost like baptizing somebody, and that’s a big responsibility,” Razzouk says.
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Razzouk uses 500-year-old wooden hand-carved stamps of religious designs as stencils. After stamping the outline on a client, Razzouk uses a contemporary tattoo gun to ink the tattoo. They also incorporate instruments and designs dating back several hundred years, carrying on one of the world’s oldest tattoo traditions.
