CAIRO: In Egypt, where tattoos are widely considered taboo, organizers have held a convention to challenge stereotypes and show off the ink designs as an art form.

Enthusiasts met over the weekend in the city’s leafy upscale Zamalek neighborhood to check out the latest designs and watch the pros at work at the 2014 Cairo Tattoo Expo.

Organizers say they hope to showcase the artistic side of the practice, which is loosely regulated in Egypt and mostly performed by artists using licenses for beauty parlors.

Timur Reda, 38, who has been tattooing in Cairo for seven years, says artists like him face many challenges.

“There is a lot of ups and downs but you know the struggle that we face here, I think it motivates us to work harder,” he said.

Only an estimated 100 people attended the weekend convention in Cairo, fewer than what organizer Orne Gil had hoped for. “It is a really small step but it’s our first step here and maybe next year it will be better and bigger in another place,” she said.