Okba had given me a free haircut in May after I ’ d been traveling for several weeks … a most welcomed gift … and I was glad to get another chance in October to see my friend .
It is a fascinating place , an ancient entity that in the words of Mark Twain , “… has seen empires rise and prosper and crumple into ruin ” but prior to the war the average age of Syrians was in the early 20 ’ s . The huge young population , together with the introduction of the internet in 2001 , has brought this current generation into the postmodern world at light speed .
And with it , a surge in tattoos . They are popular throughout much of Syria and the industry has grown rapidly in the last 15 years . Many hair salons also offer tattoos – both cosmetic and body art . Okba surprised me when he said the demand has not waned but continues to increase through the years of war . Surprising because in the stressed economy the exchange rate has gone from 50 Syrian pounds for $ 1 USD to about 500 to 1 , yet wages remain about the same . Even in such dire straits people still manage to put a priority on getting inked . Not only that , they also put the priority on getting it done right – they ’ ll pay what they need to for the perfect tattoo .
While enjoying the new popularity , tattoos have been in Syria since the ancient times of the nomads , and the desert nomadic women
Okba had given me a free haircut in May after I ’ d been traveling for several weeks … a most welcomed gift … and I was glad to get another chance in October to see my friend .
It is a fascinating place , an ancient entity that in the words of Mark Twain , “… has seen empires rise and prosper and crumple into ruin ” but prior to the war the average age of Syrians was in the early 20 ’ s . The huge young population , together with the introduction of the internet in 2001 , has brought this current generation into the postmodern world at light speed .
And with it , a surge in tattoos . They are popular throughout much of Syria and the industry has grown rapidly in the last 15 years . Many hair salons also offer tattoos – both cosmetic and body art . Okba surprised me when he said the demand has not waned but continues to increase through the years of war . Surprising because in the stressed economy the exchange rate has gone from 50 Syrian pounds for $ 1 USD to about 500 to 1 , yet wages remain about the same . Even in such dire straits people still manage to put a priority on getting inked . Not only that , they also put the priority on getting it done right – they ’ ll pay what they need to for the perfect tattoo .
While enjoying the new popularity , tattoos have been in Syria since the ancient times of the nomads , and the desert nomadic women