Arab paper (waraq, kāghad)

Ingredients

flax (kattān), linen, rags, hemp (qannab), rope, cotton (qutṇ), bast fibres of the fig tree (mudakh), silk products, rice starch, wheat starch, sorghum starch, fish glue (ghirāʾ al-samak), alum (al-shabb al-Yamānī), sour milk (laban)

Preparation Steps

Original Recipe Text

The production of Arab paper involved pulp made from flax, hemp, or cotton rags (p. 187). Sizing (saqy, ʿilāj, taghriyah) was performed using starch derived from rice, wheat, or sorghum, or alternatively fish glue (p. 188). Burnishing (tasqīl) followed sizing to create a smooth surface (p. 188). For deluxe manuscripts, a finish of egg-white or gum tragacanth was applied with a brush (p. 188).

Evidence

"Arabic sources variously mention flax (kattān) and its products linen and rags, hemp (qannab) and its product rope, cotton (qutṇ) and the bast fibres of the fig tree (mudakh or mudaḥ) as the ingredients of local paper."

Remarks

Moulds used were either wove (pattern-less) or laid (showing vertical lines from grass/reeds and horizontal chain lines from horse hair) (p. 187). Iraqi and Iranian manuscripts frequently used wove paper (p. 189). Sizing was critical to prevent ink bleeding and to provide a surface suitable for the reed pen.