Israel— Tattoo scenes & cities

In Jerusalem, near Jaffa Gate, a family of tattooists in the Old City keeps alive a Christian pilgrimage tattoo; it settled in the city around 1750. The family says it descends from Copts of Egypt, where, it says, a small cross tattooed on the wrist served as a sign of belonging, sometimes applied by a priest at baptism.

The pilgrim chooses a cross, the crucifixion or the resurrection, with the date of the visit beneath it; on returning, he or she adds an image or a date. The shop keeps wooden stamps of olive and cedar, many still in use: the Jerusalem cross, the Virgin, Saint Michael. Easter is the high season for pilgrimages.