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In Photos: Matriarchal Facial Tattoos

March 20, 2022

When there is too much beauty in the heart, it spills outward: in kind eyes and a smile, in a show of tradition or companionship – or in ink. Blue and faded, the Arab women embrace rural facial tattoos as a symbol of faith in all its forms. From sigils on the forehead and warded ill-will, to beatific religious dotting and astrological motifs, palm leaves are used to ink into skin and produce a vision for the “a waning matriarchy” that once flourished in the region.

These are some women who wear their hearts in ink.

Tunis facial tattoos Habiba
Tunis, Tunisia | Photo Credit: Yumna Al-Arashi
Tunis facial tattoos
Tunis, Tunisia | Photo Credit: Yumna Al-Arashi
Yumna told Al-Arashi that her tattoos represent her love and connection to the earth.
Morocco | Photo Credit: Yumna Al-Arashi
Algeria | Photo Credit: Yasmin Bendaas
berberwomen - Twitter Search / Twitter
Berber woman | Photo Credit: HuffPost
Turkey | Photo Credit: Chris Kaspar
The French photographer Marc Garanger’s 1960 portrait of a woman whose village was destroyed during Algeria’s war of independence.
1960 portraits of Algerian women | Photo Credit: Marc Garanger
ct-ent-1020-tattoo-field-museum
1960 portraits of Algerian women | Photo Credit: Marc Garanger

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