Razzouk Tattoo - Since 1300

Razzouk Tattoo has been tattooing pilgrims and travelers in East Jerusalem for more than 700 years, making it the world's oldest tattoo family. The tradition began in the 1300s, when the Razzouk family tattooed Coptic Christians in Egypt, before relocating to Jerusalem in the 1500s and continuing the practice ever since. The studio sits in the heart of Jerusalem's Old City, where visitors can step into a living tradition and receive a piece of history rather than a typical tattoo appointment.

The family works with hand-carved wooden stamps passed down through 28 generations, used to create traditional Coptic and pilgrimage designs, including the Jerusalem Cross, that connect wearers to centuries of faith and craftsmanship. Today the tradition is carried on by Wassim, who took over in 2007 and blends ancient methods with modern craftsmanship, alongside Anton and Nizar, who share the family's stories through tours, a podcast, and an online journal. Appointments can be booked directly for a tattoo rooted in an unbroken lineage of pilgrimage art, and the studio's documented designs have even been chronicled in historical scholarship on Coptic tattooing.