Absolutely mesmerizing with their rich history which dates back to ancient Mesopotamia, the intricate Deq traditional tattoo designs are literally fading into the past.
Preserving them forever in our visual memory, photographer Murat Yazar captures images of the traditional Kurdish and Arabic people concentrated in southeast Turkey who participated in the ancient tradition of Deq tattoos. Various tribal designs symbolize spirituality as well as protection and good fate and were created using human breast milk, lampblack and animal gall in a specialized mixture.
Over time, these traditional tattoo designs have begun to fade into the aged skins of the wearers, and the tradition itself has begun to fade as newer generations choose to forgo this ritual, slowly making the artistically symbolic expression of Deq tattoos a thing of the past.
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Traditional Tattoo Preservation
- Preserving ancient Mesopotamian traditional tattoos through photographic documentation and other modern preservation techniques.
- Cultural Heritage Photography
- Documenting and archiving the visual history and cultural significance of fading traditional tattoo designs.
- Revival of Traditional Tattooing
- Bringing back the ancient tradition of Deq tattoos through modern interpretation and promotion.
Where This Applies
- Photography
- Helping to preserve and document cultural history through photography and other visual mediums.
- Tattoo Artistry
- Offering opportunities for traditional tattoo artists to study and revive fading cultural tattoo designs.
- Heritage Tourism
- Promoting the unique cultural heritage of southeast Turkey by leveraging the fading tradition of Deq tattoos.
