iron-gall ink (ḥibr)

Ingredients

gallnuts (ʿafṣ), vitriol (zāj), gum arabic (samgḥ), alum (shabb)

Preparation Steps

Original Recipe Text

Iron-gall ink was made by mixing gallnuts (ʿafṣ), pulverized or fermented, vitriol (zāj) and gum arabic (samgḥ). Vitriol was obtained from alum (shabb), whereas the main source of gum arabic was resin from the acacia tree. Other recipes instead of gallnuts mention water from myrtle (ās), carrot (kharrūb), tamarisk (athl) and hazelnut or pomegranate (rummān) rinds. To some recipes were added egg white (glair) (bayāḍ al-bayḍ) and copper (nuḥās). (p. 133)

Evidence

"Fig. 87: Parchment leaf from an early Abbasid Qurʾan badly damaged by acidic ink (RBD AC193 – detail)"

Remarks

Iron-gall inks can become corrosive and burn into the support (parchment or paper) due to excessive acidity or become pale to a point where the text becomes illegible (p. 134-135). The author notes that when mixed properly, it was a fine permanent black ink, but improper mixtures produced highly acidic or encaustic results (p. 133).