Morocco— Tattoo scenes & cities

Among the Amazigh of Morocco, it was mostly women who got tattooed. A woman tattooist, often middle-aged, came from time to time to tattoo the young girls of several villages, on the face, arms or feet. The first facial tattoo, the siyala, placed on the chin, was linked to fertility; others were added at puberty or according to marital status.

It was credited with virtues: fertility, healing, protection against spirits, the jnoun. It also told tribal belonging. Tattooing later declined; sources point to the French occupation, religious strictness and the move to the cities, and many women came to feel ashamed of their marks. Today, young people are rediscovering their grandmothers' designs.