I got this Jerusalem cross while I was in. Israel in the old city of Jerusalem in 2023. This is a…read morecross that was given to the Knights Templar. These knights had a job to protect pilgrims, trying to make their way to the holy land, typically Christians. This cross symbolized this person's loyalty to the Catholic Church and to all pilgrims, making their way to jerusalem. The tattoo parlor that I got it at is the oldest tattoo parlor in the world, founded in the year of our lord, 1300. To make sure that the tattoo was identical, they used a stamp as they did for many tattoos during that time period. The stamp would be placed in some type of ink and placed upon your skin, and then a tattoo artist would use a quill needle dipped in ink and ashes and tap the tattoo.According to the stamp. Obviously, today's methods are a lot more sanitary. The name of this tattoo parlor is RAZZOUK, and that name has had twenty-seven generations, owning this tattoo parlor. When I got this tattoo, I did not have the red ink filling it in. As you can imagine, tattoos at this particular tattoo parlor were rather expensive, so I decided to have the red ink added when I got back stateside. I went to Dynamic Ink, and I was pleased at the work that they did. Here is some history Tattooing is an art that the Razzouk family brought with them to Palestine five centuries ago, bringing it with them from Egypt. The family came to the Holy Land for pilgrimage but then stayed for trade and for the Tattooing tradition that had existed, and since this art has been in the family for 700 hundred years starting in Egypt, the family started tattooing pilgrims for a living. Our ancestors used tattoos to mark Catholic Copts in Egypt with a small cross on the inside of the wrist to grant them access to churches. Those without it would have difficulty entering the church; therefore, from a very young age (sometimes even a few months old), Catholics would tattoo their children with the cross, identifying them as Copts The current owner of the Razzouk Tattoo shop, Wassim, the 27th generation of the family members that have been practicing this profession and the tradition of offering tattoos to visitors to the Old City of Jerusalem. "My grandfather, Jacob Razzouk (known also as Hagop or "the tattooist"), was the first tattoo artist in this country to use an electric tattoo machine (which was powered by a car battery) and the first to use color as well. Many artists have learned from him, and he has been mentioned in many books and magazines that discuss the history of tattooing (especially religious and Catholic tattoos). He had learned the art from his father who learned it from his father and the ancestors who came from Egypt and brought with them the wooden hand-carved stamps that act as stencils for the religious designs of motifs inspired from the bible such as the crucifixion, the ascension, the Madonna, etc... Pilgrims would stand in line waiting for their turn to be tattooed with either a cross or another design of their choice with the date as certification to their pilgrimage to the Holy Land and as a souvenir. Many Pilgrims would visit another time in a different year and have the date of that year added to the tattoo. My Father, Anton Razzouk, speaks of a man who had visited Palestine for decades on a yearly basis bringing other pilgrims with him from Egypt every year, and every year he would bring his groups to be tattooed and, of course, get tattooed with the year again, he ended up having tens of tattooed dates on his arms. Another story that my father is proud of is about the fact that his father, Jacob, had tattooed the Emperor of Ethiopia in the 1930's, he wanted to be tattooed only by the original artist from the original family. One of the interesting recent stories is that my father was contacted by an Armenian American doctor who invited him to the USA to have him put an original tattoo for him (probably cost him more than a hundred tattoos!), but for him, the authenticity and the heritage was all that mattered. My father (Anton Razzouk) taught me as his father (Yacoub Razzouk) had taught him, and I have decided to carry over the tradition and the heritage, now my two sons are also practicing this profession that will hopefully remain in the family for many centuries to come. https://razzouktattoo.com/pages/history

WARNING! ‼ Do NOT go to Dynamic Tattoo in Inverness! I went in for a cover up tonight and he…read morereassured me he could cover up my previous tattoo and make this beautiful piece. I am devastated. I was getting this cover up as I'm getting married in May and wanted it to be beautiful. During the tattoo he stated I was leaking a lot of lactic acid and he'd have to do another appointment in 2 weeks. I said fine, paid and left just trusting that it would be great as I just spent $425 (with tip). I looked at the pictures my fiancé took and started sobbing. He feels terrible as it was a surprise for me and we took money from our wedding fund to do this and won't be able to fix it until after the wedding now... with a strapless dress! I asked for a refund however he insists that "we'll work something out" he isn't touching me with a tattoo machine (and hopefully never will anyone again!) Please look at the pictures! This is unreal. Why do tattoo artists not require a license but cosmologists do? I'd rather my hair burned off than my skin severely scarred up and looking terrible! Hair grows back, this is forever. Ps.... He also told me that I had been there 4 or 4.5 hours already when in reality, we got there at 3 for our appointment time and it was 450 when he said that. I'm like "ummm no we didn't even get here until 3". He corrected the "error" but had I not said anything, he sure as hell wouldn't have! We were "done" at 530. And charged for 3 hours of pain for nothing!