Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Pilgrimage
Volume 8 Article 2
Issue 5 Art, Images, Symbols and Pilgrimage
2020
Part of the Anthropology Commons, and the Tourism and Travel Commons
Recommended Citation
diktaş, mustafa (2020) "The Imprint of the Pilgrimage An Ethnography of a Tattoo Studio in Jerusalem,"
International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage: Vol. 8: Iss. 5, Article 2.
Available at: https://arrow.tudublin.ie/ijrtp/vol8/iss5/2
~1~
Diktaş The Imprint of the Pilgrimage: An Ethnography of a Tattoo Studio in Jerusalem
of the oldest art forms known to humanity and the most markings on the body though this was discouraged by
ancient methods of expressing personal and communal their religious leaders (Carswell, 1958). As such,
spiritual beliefs, tattooing has persisted until the humanity seems unlikely to discontinue this very
present day in various magico-religious and secular personal act of creativity simply because a religious
forms. authority decrees it unnecessary.
The Catholic Church frowned upon and eventually Razzouk Tattoo in Jerusalem
banned the practice of tattooing, using Leviticus 19:28 (Tattoo as a family legacy)
as justification for this decision.[2] However, despite
this ban, the practice of tattooing among the faithful For centuries, Palestinians have depended on pilgrims
continued (Sinclair, 1908). For example, many arriving from abroad for their economic livelihood. In
Crusaders and pilgrims on their visits to Jerusalem many instances, these interactions have enabled the
bought tattoos to prove to others that they had been creation of new cultural processes and forms. Marie-
there (Dye, 1989:521). Moreover, Armenian, Syrian, Armelle Beaulieu’s (2019) essay on Jerusalem tattoos
and Coptic pilgrims returning from the holy land provides a classic example. In the post-Crusader
acquired souvenir tattoos to commemorate their period, European pilgrims became increasingly
journey. In the 19th century, it was tradition for gypsies interested in the ancient practice of tattooing among
to tattoo these pilgrims, and tattoo marks became part local Christians in the Jerusalem area. Adapting their
of pilgrims’ social status. Dots in the shape of a cross designs to cater to Catholic sensibilities (in particular
on the hand or biblical scenes marked the bearer as a the Crusader ‘Jerusalem Cross’[4]; see Picture 1), local
devout Christian. These tattoos also served magical tattooists did a thriving trade among European pilgrims
purposes. Women choose Annunciation scenes[3] to from the sixteenth to nineteenth centuries. More
ensure fertility (see Picture 11), and some tattoos were recently, this art has been revived in Jerusalem by the
placed on ailing parts of the body to promote healing. Razzouk Tattoo Studio, tapping into global trends in
Muslim Arabs also tattooed themselves with permanent fashion, demonstrating once again how pilgrimage is
continually reshaping cultural and economic life in
2. ‘Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks
on yourselves. I am the Lord’ (Leviticus 19:28, New Israel/Palestine.
International Version).
3. In Christianity, The Annunciation referes to the For more than seven hundred years, tattooing has been
announcement by the Angel Gabriel to the Virgin the profession of countless generations of Razzouk
Mary that she would conceive a son, who was to be family members. This Coptic Christian family
called Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit (Luke
1:26–38) originated in Egypt, but in 1750 an ancestor named
4. Carried by the Crusaders, the ‘Jerusalem Cross’ became Jerius, a Coptic priest, brought the art he had learned
the emblem of the Kingdom of Jerusalem from the from his forefathers to Palestine and later Jerusalem.
1280s.
~2~
International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Volume 8(v) 2020
With his wooden tattoo stencil and ink, Jirius Razzouk studio, some 750,000 Palestinians were forced to flee
played a vital role in both continuing this tradition, their land in 1948 in what Palestinians refer to as the
and, when he came to Jerusalem, revitalising the Nakba (i.e., the catastrophe). Yacoub was also forced
tattooing of pilgrims in the region. Following the Arab hastily to collect his tattoo equipment and abandon his
invasion of Egypt, members of the Coptic community shop and his home, moving to Jordan as a refugee for
used to be tattooed to distinguish themselves from the several months until the Arab-Israeli war ended.
conquerors. However, what began as a mark of During his time in Jordan, Yacoub found himself
persecution eventually became a part of the Egyptian- tattooing an unlikely group of customers: Iraqi
Christian identity. From there, the tradition spread to Christian soldiers who had migrated to the Levant to
other Eastern Christian communities, such as the fight with the Israeli army.[6]
Ethiopian and Armenian churches, and to this day
many Coptic churches ask to see a follower’s tattoo of Upon their return to Palestine after the end of the Arab-
the cross before they are allowed to enter.[5] Israeli war, the Razzouk family began offering
tattooing services from their home, and became the last
Razzouk Tattoo claims to be the only remaining remaining Palestinian family in East Jerusalem to
traditional pilgrimage tattoo business in the world. provide a tattooing service for pilgrims. In 2016,
Wassim Razzouk, the current representative of the Wassim was able to open an official tattoo studio in the
family, the owner of the studio, and an acclaimed Old City for the first time since the shop of his
tattoo artist, learned the art of tattooing from his father, grandfather Yacoub (see Picture 3), designing the
Anton, who learned it from his father, Yacoub. Yacoub studio to resemble the original tattoo shop in West
Razzouk (see Picture 2), Wassim’s grandfather, Jerusalem. The budding popularity of the Razzouk
worked as a carpenter in historic Palestine while doing family's tattoo studio has helped put their family's
tattooing on the side. Most tattoo artists had other jobs tattooing history on display in the region. Islamic Art
to sustain themselves, as local tattooing was typically researcher John Carswell stumbled upon the Razzouks’
done at cheap prices and pilgrimage tattooing was only collection of stamp blocks on a visit to Jerusalem in
seasonal. British and Australian soldiers stationed in 1956, and with their permission made impressions of
British Mandate Palestine from 1920 until 1948 their 184 stamps. The book Carswell (1958) wrote
became Yacoub’s main clients. The business about the stamp blocks, ‘Coptic Tattoo Designs,’ is a
accumulated from soldiers eager to receive tattoos popular book among scholars and collectors. Razzouk
allowed Yacoub to expand his practice from a exhibits a second edition copy of the book in a display
makeshift studio in his home to an official tattoo shop case in his shop and uses it as a reference to recreate
in the Mamilla neighbourhood of West Jerusalem. designs for which he no longer has blocks (see Picture
However, just a few years after opening his first tattoo 4).
5. http://razzouktattoo.com/ and personal interviews with Despite the Razzouk family’s long heritage of
Wassim Razzouk between 02.01.2020-31.01.2020 tattooing, Wassim is the first to have pursued the
6. personal interviews with Wassim Razzouk between profession full-time. Wassim also recently participated
02.01.2020-31.01.2020
~3~
Diktaş The Imprint of the Pilgrimage: An Ethnography of a Tattoo Studio in Jerusalem
in non-profit organization Artists4Israel’s ‘Healing There are two ways that the tattooist places the tattoo
Ink’ initiative, which offered free tattoos to Israeli design on the skin. The first method involves using
victims of terror and war.[7] Today, Wassim’s carbon paper to transfer the design from paper to the
Jerusalem studio, ‘Razzouk Ink - Tattoos with skin. The design is drawn onto carbon paper,
Heritage’ is a popular landmark within Jerusalem, with sometimes cut in the shape of the design. This is then
tour guides regularly stopping to explain the studio’s placed on the skin, which has been moistened with a
historic and cultural significance on the way to visit the deodorant cream. This method enables both the
nearby Church of the Holy Sepulchre. (see Picture 5). tattooist and the tattooed people to check the size of the
Tourists take photos outside the Razzouk Tattoo sign design and its location on the body and make
just as they would at other landmarks in the Old City. appropriate changes. The tattooist can also enlarge or
People are increasingly becoming aware of the shop’s reduce the design using a photocopying machine. The
existence in various ways. For example, before arriving second method involves affixing the block onto the
to Jerusalem, visitors read up about the shop, which is
listed on several ‘things to do in Jerusalem’ kind of
web pages and on YouTube. Tourist brochures at
Picture 7 Inside the shop
hotels, fellow pilgrims who have been to the shop, and
seeing the Razzouk Tattoo business card at souvenir
shops in the old city also serve as ways of promoting
the business (see Picture 6).
7. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-
5030875,00.html
~4~
International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Volume 8(v) 2020
Picture 8 Pilgrims choosing the patterns from the binder Picture 9 Stamps
~5~
Diktaş The Imprint of the Pilgrimage: An Ethnography of a Tattoo Studio in Jerusalem
A Closer Look at the Tattoo Bearers symbols tattooed on their bodies, proudly displaying
their religious identities. According to Wassim, during
Typical Pilgrims periods of persecution, this same cross had to be shown
by Christians in order to enter churches for safety
a. The first sub-category of pilgrims are Orthodox reasons. The practice became deeply rooted in Coptic
Christians with Middle Eastern and Ethiopian Christian traditions.
origins (Copts, Chaldeans, Maronite, Armenians,
Syriacs who hold passports that enable them to enter Having this decorative function, tattoos are often
Israel). In the Coptic and other Eastern Christian associated with exhibitionism. Although there is
communities (e.g., Ethiopian, Armenian, Syrian, indeed an element of desire to reveal tattoos, there is
Maronite, Kildanian), tattooing has long functioned to often an equally profound desire to conceal tattoos.
mark one’s pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Depending on Revealing the tattoo has several functions, including
the timing of their pilgrimage, they pick certain showing the individual’s stylishness, identifying with a
patterns from the design catalogue. If their pilgrimage group to which they belong, and demonstrating their
is around Easter time, they tend to ask for Resurrection rebelliousness (Atkinson, 2002).
or crucifixion themed tattoos. The Virgin Mary and
Baby Jesus are popular among Ethiopian female Erin, a 22-year-old Coptic Christian pilgrim I
pilgrims. The Jerusalem Cross is the most requested interviewed at Razzouk’s studio, who had migrated to
tattoo pattern among all pilgrims. Syriacs ask for the USA from Egypt as a child, told me that these
tattoos of the Aramaic scriptures. Copts mostly prefer tattoos are central to the identity of Christians,
the Coptic Cross (see Picture 12). particularly those from the Coptic lands where the
community is a minority. He was not planning to get a
Christianity, like Islam, also forbids tattoos, but, as tattoo during his trip, but decided to get one because of
noted earlier, that does not dissuade Coptic Christians his travel experiences in a visible location on his body.
in Egypt from continuing their tattoo traditions. Many
pilgrims choose to get small crosses tattooed on the I am Christian [he told me] and I want others to
know that. This tattoo makes our identity
insides of their wrists or on the backs of their hands to public. You can shake my hand, and on my
show pride in their religion. Traditionally, Egyptian wrist you can easily see who I am (see Picture
Copts would get tattoos during their pilgrimages to 13)
Jerusalem. and today they continue to use some of the
same wooden stamps to get their cross tattoos. These Similarly, an Italian pilgrim I interviewed at Razzuk’s
stamps are stencil outlines that allow the artist to tattoo associated the pain he suffered during tattooing with
his clients at a quicker pace. Adults, as well as birth pain. This follows many pilgrims who associate
children, line up outside of their church to get religious the pain caused when tattooed in some small way with
~6~
International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Volume 8(v) 2020
Picture 13 Erin, a Coptic Pilgrim. Turner’s definition. The individual leaves his or her
With the permission of Erin established routine, voluntarily places themselves in a
special place (tattoo studio) for a special amount of
time where they give themselves over to the authority
of a specially empowered individual (tattoo artist) who
painfully breaks their skin and inscribes a symbol onto
their body. At the end of this process, they emerge
back into society newly marked. As one Anglican
female pilgrim at Razzouk’s studio told me, she had
turned into another person now that she visited holy
places, and through being tattooed and she was
immortalising this change. According to Wassim
the sufferings of Christ: the seal of Jerusalem I have this tattoo as a souvenir, but it doesn’t
remaining in the skin of the pilgrim as the wounds of mean that I will always keep it with me. Maybe
the Passion on the body of the risen Christ. This would for a couple of years or may be more. But
also explain the special attraction for the tattooing of thanks to the cosmetic industry tattoos can be
the Cross of Jerusalem. The Italian professor Guido removed now. That is why I feel comfortable
Guerzoni (2018) writes that a tattoo performed during a with the idea of tattooing. If it was totally
permanent, I would hesitate to have one’
Christian pilgrimage is ‘a small martyrdom – a public
effusion of blood’ of one’s faith. Many pilgrims told Body markings can be marks of disaffiliation with
me that the pain of the needle is worth the sacrifice. mainstream society and visually proclaiming a sense of
For example camaraderie to others so marked (Gell, 1993). Aby
The pain I feel is like the pain that Jesus Christ from the United States has been on a religious
felt when he was on the cross with his crown of pilgrimage in the area three times, represented by the
thorns,’ dates of each trip tattooed one after the other below a
cross inked on her wrist.
said a nurse from Ethiopia, as a scene depicting the
crucifixion was etched on her triceps. These comments Thanks to the tattoo I have here [she said] I feel
by interviewees is in line with research within the honour of being a member of a pilgrim
community, different from the ones who never
anthropological studies that shows that the tattoo has have had this holy journey.
long been accepted as a rite of passage (Van Gennep,
1960, Kuwahara, 2005). Pilgrims come to the tattoo shop mostly in groups,
generally with their friends or family members. The
b. The second sub-category of pilgrims consists of tattoo procedure is often a highly social act in which an
Western pilgrims from Europe, United States, or individual manipulates and asserts identity within a
Latin America (e.g., Catholic and Anglican specific social milieu. Getting a tattoo is often a social
Christians). These pilgrims mostly prefer small event, experienced with close associates who provide
symbolic crosses or the Jerusalem Cross. For these moral support offer advice and help pass the anxiety
pilgrims, as well, tattooing is a means of transition filled waiting time. As one female pilgrim in her 60’s
from previous states to a new one. Victor Turner told me:
discusses the importance of this social validation in
terms of social drama and ritualistic transformation My daughter and I have always talked about
(Turner, 1982). Even the process by which one getting a tattoo together at some point in time.
It is a nice memory, a permanent memory of
acquires a tattoo is rather ritualistic according to Jerusalem, of a trip we took together; I like the
~7~
Diktaş The Imprint of the Pilgrimage: An Ethnography of a Tattoo Studio in Jerusalem
Picture 14 &15 Father Boulos from Saint Marc Monastery showing off his tattoo on his finger
symbolic meaning of the tattoo: Jerusalem Christian symbols, such as the chi-rho or fish (ichthus),
being the centre of the universe and the four were incredibly popular on epitaphs in Late Antiquity
crosses being the four corners of the world. and into the medieval era. As Friedman points out,
Making this real with my daughter together is tattoos are not always a direct reflection of belief. As
also remarkable’
she remarks, they are
Historic overviews of the tattoo industry itself often no longer necessarily marks of faith, but rather
focused on tattoos received by notable men. However, they can mark travel experience or reference
other researchers are now starting to examine the heritage (Friedman, 2015:???).
overlooked history of women within the profession, as
both serious collectors, artists, and wives of artists As Freidman suggests, a second category of people
(Mifflin, 1997). Recent studies have focused on gender who visit at Razzouk studio consists of tourists who
and tattoo collecting, examining the more serious visit Jerusalem with motivations other than pilgrimage.
stigma imposed on women for delving into a still-male- Student groups, package tours, and curious
associated practice, in part because in recent years backpackers who come to the shop do not
research suggests that women now collect more tattoos acknowledge themselves as pilgrims, and they mostly
than men (Atkinson, 2002; Schertenlieb, 2004; Thobo- get tattooed with non-religious patterns, such as the
Carlsen 2014). Reflecting on this observation, I noted a Silhouette of Jerusalem, the word ‘cool’ in Arabic, and
greater female presence at Razzouk Ink. When asking other such patterns that remind them of the experience
one female pilgrim why this might be the case, she that they had in the city. Many of this group have
responded: previous tattoos prior to receiving one at Razzouk Ink.
Women like to adorn themselves more than Father Boulus, a Syriac priest from Saint Marc church
men. in the Old City, designs tattoos of prayers written in
Aramaic on demand, which designs have become
Tourists
popular among tourists and pilgrims. Father Boulus
Dr. Anna Felicity Friedman of the Centre for Tattoo visits the shop twice a week to translate phrases from
History and Culture, a scholar who has done a great Arabic or English into Aramaic (see Picture 14 & 15).
deal of work on pilgrim tattoos, suggests that it is As he told me:
likely that Aramaic is the language of Jesus Christ. In this
sense, now that you are in Holy Land where
tattoo practitioners and tattoo recipients looked
Jesus once walked and talked therefore having
at and drew from common Christian symbols
a tattoo of an Aramaic phrase is sometimes
and iconography around them for inspiration
more original and meaningful for the tourists
for their tattooed marks of faith (Friedman,
rather than a tattoo of a cross.
2015:???).
~8~
International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Volume 8(v) 2020
While observing the interactions at Razzouk Ink on a heritage trips to Israel for young adults age 18-32 of
chilly and rainy Saturday in Jerusalem, I saw a group Jewish heritage. During their trip, participants in this
of students from Chicago squeeze into the shop to pore programme, most of whom are visiting Israel for the
over sample tattoo designs. They were in Israel for a first time, are encouraged to discover new meaning in
weeklong study abroad trip for their ‘Jerusalem: The their personal Jewish identity and make a stronger
Making of a Holy City’ course. For some of the connection to Jewish history and culture. Since trips
students, it would be their first tattoo. For others, their began in the winter of 1999, more than 600,000 young
second or third. One of the girls in the group settled on people from 67 countries have participated in the
an image of mountains. She said she was inspired by program. About 80% of participants are from the
hills she saw in the West Bank at sunset and by her late United States and Canada (Kelner, 2010). For those
mother’s love of mountains. Her classmate selected an participants who came to Razzouk Ink for a tattoo, they
ancient Coptic design for the back of her ankle, while a choose mostly non-religious symbols and tattoo motifs,
friend of hers asked Wassim to tattoo ‘Just take a many of which were related with adventure and Israeli
breath’ in Arabic script on her waist (see Picture 17). cultural pop art patterns. They did this in part to
Others requested the Jerusalem Cross, the ubiquitous immortalise their adventurous visit to Israel with
symbol in the Old City, as well as at other ancient and tattoos at Razzouk. As one female Taglit delegate,
holy sites in Israel. Some students had Wassim aged 29, told me:
discretely put the symbol on the inside of their wrist,
I will have twos tattoos. A compass, which
while others wanted it placed on their ankle, upper shows the north. I am from the north of the
arm, back, or even fingers. On a different visit, I saw a United States. That means wherever I travel I
young male Swedish tourist, who had read about the will go back to the north eventually to my home.
pilgrim tattoo art-form before coming to Israel on a And a cat-rat. Because here in Israel, people
group tour, chose an outline of a Jerusalem Cross (a treat cats as rats. I saw this pattern on a graffiti
large cross in the middle with four smaller crosses at wall in Tel Aviv. This is what I will always
each corner) for his arm and the Camino shell (see remember.
Picture 16) for his side (see paper by Kurrat and Heiser
Tattoo Collectors
elsewhere in this volume).
This category of tattoo recipient mostly consists of
During ethnographic fieldwork at the tattoo shop, I met local Israeli or Palestinian tattoo enthusiasts who wish
many young Jewish tourists who came to Israel though to improve and enrich the tattoo collections they have
the Taglit programme. The Taglit programme (Taglit on their bodies. Individuals in this this group are not
being the Hebrew word for ‘discovery’), also known as just collectors in the sense that they are covering their
‘Birthright Israel’ or simply Birthright, is a non-profit bodies with one or more tattoos, they represent a subset
educational organisation that sponsors free ten-day of heavily tattooed individuals who desire the best art
~9~
Diktaş The Imprint of the Pilgrimage: An Ethnography of a Tattoo Studio in Jerusalem
available, travelling to cities around the Israel, Europe, I am a retired soldier. I travel quite a lot now.
and the United States paying thousands of dollars to Every time I come to Israel, I have a tattoo from
acquire unique tattoo designs from famous artists. This Razzouk. Each single tattoo means something
group is an exclusive one, as few individuals in the for me. For example, I had St George tattooed
in 2016, the year I retired from the army. St
tattoo world can afford the $100 to $250 per hour fee
George is a military saint that is why I picked
charged by famous artists. People in this group prefer it. Two months ago, I flew to Istanbul only to
either trendy tattoo designs created by the modern have the tattoo of a whirling Sufi dervish. Now I
tattoo industry or design their own patterns. They are have the lion of Juda from Israel. Last year I
not only dedicated to completing their ‘body suits,’ but had two tattoos from Japan and one from
are also interested in acquiring the best, most Hungary. I always work with famous tattoo
expensive, and prestigious tattoos available. In this artists of the countries I visit. My right arm is
way, they serve as the trend setters within the world of designated for my tattoo collection.
professional tattoos.
Several of the people that I talked to at Razzouk studio
discussed becoming collectors in terms of starting with
As Bourdieu (1980:253) argued, legitimate cultural
just one tattoo and building their collections from
taste, or the appreciation of high culture artifacts,
there. The experience of getting several small tattoos
‘unites and separates’ individuals and announces their
as a start of one’s collection seems to be common, and
socio-cultural status. In this way, tattoo collectors
it is only after they start to conceive of themselves as
demonstrate their cultural capital and using it, they
collectors that they begin to visualise their collections
construct themselves as superior to those with less
as conceptual and stylistic wholes. This becomes
cultural capital. The tattooed person selects an image
apparent when they start to cover their old, smaller
or images, which image(s) can take the form of various
tattoos. This cover work tends to evolve in either
objects, such as words, numbers and other linguistic
geographic (i.e., specific areas of the body) or
figures; iconography based on religion, heritage,
conceptual patterns.
popular and other cultural influences; animal, plant,
and human representations; or abstract shapes and
lines. As one male tattoo collector, aged 57, from the
United States told me (see Picture 18 & 19):
~ 10 ~
International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Volume 8(v) 2020
Bourdieu, P (1980) ‘‘The Aristocracy of Culture.’’ Media, Thomas, N., Cole, A., & Douglas, B. (Eds.) (2005) Tattoo:
Culture and Society 2:225–54. Bodies, art, and exchange in the pacific the University
Press
Carswell, J (1958) Coptic Tattoo Designs. The American
University of Beirut, 1958. £5. 10s. Turner, V (1982) From Ritual to Theatre The Human
Seriousness of Play Library of Congress
DeMello, M (2000) Bodies of Inscription: A Cultural
History of the Modern Tattoo Community. Duke Van Gennep, A (1960) The Rites of Passage. London:
University Press, Durham, NC Routledge and Kegan Paul.
~ 11 ~