Sara is a tattoo artist who has been practising in Tehran for several years now.

I was trained with a master for about six months, and then did simple designs under his supervision for several years, before I started to work independently. Now, many people have requested that I teach them; meanwhile, my master had continued to teach others. The field is growing quickly.

Another Iranian tattoo artist at work.



Tattoo by Iranian artist Kambiz.



A tattoo of Fahavar, a symbol of Zoroastroanism. By Iranian artist Kambiz.

“When the policeman saw I wore a scarf and a hijab, he changed his mind and said he would not report me”

About seven months ago, a policeman posed as a customer. However, when he saw I wore a scarf and a hijab, he changed his mind and said he would not report me. I was very lucky, and since then, I’ve become more careful in choosing my clients. Fortunately, my work is of high enough quality that when one of my customers is satisfied with their tattoo, they’ll refer me to more clients.

This tattoo features a line from a Persian poem: "If Iran no longer existed, I would no longer want to exist either."

The majority of my clients are men, mostly from the middle and upper classes. Women get fewer tattoos, at least before they get married. Many of my own friends tell me that they don’t want to get tattoos before marriage because they’re afraid their husbands might not like it or even think poorly of them. What’s certain, however, is that today in Iran, tattoos are no longer for criminals, but for anybody who wants to look good! In the last few years, Iranian tattoo artists have learned to create three-dimensional and shaded tattoos. In my opinion, modern tattoos are true works of art.