delicate paper, very much like Chinese one

Ingredients

flax, hemp, linen rags, cordage, soda ash, lime, starch paste

Preparation Steps

Original Recipe Text

The basic process involved taking plant fibers, macerating them into a pulp, suspending them in water, catching the fibers on a screen, and drying them (p. 4). Fibers were typically treated by boiling with soda ash or lime before being macerated in a stone pestle or stamped (p. 5). A flexible screen made of finely split bamboo strips or grass tied with silk thread allowed the wet sheet to be dispensed from the frame (p. 6). After being formed, sheets were pressed to squeeze out water and then pasted on wooden boards or plastered walls to dry (p. 6). Finally, for manuscript use, the paper was polished and then sized with starch paste to create a smooth, non-absorbent surface suitable for calligraphy (p. 12).

Evidence

"He organized first papermaking production in his city and Chinese papermakers-prisoners taught local craftsman the new craft."

Remarks

Samarqand became the first major center for Islamic papermaking following the Battle of Talas in 751 CE (p. 7). While early Chinese papers utilized bamboo or paper mulberry, Islamic papermakers adapted the technology to use flax and hemp (p. 10). The usage of macerated linen rags was a distinctly Islamic addition to the technology (p. 10). The paper produced was known for its high quality, matching Chinese standards, and its adoption led to the replacement of papyrus and parchment in state administration (p. 7).