ahar (sized paper)

Ingredients

rice powder, egg white, starch

Preparation Steps

Original Recipe Text

A starch-based substance (ahar), typically a mixture of rice powder with egg white and other ingredients, was applied to the paper surface (p. 28). Then the paper was rubbed or burnished with a burnisher made of stone, wood, oyster, or mussel-shell to make it smooth (p. 28).

Evidence

"a starch-based substance, usually a mixture of rice powder with egg white and other ingredients, was applied properly to the paper surface to prevent the ink from penetrating the fibers."

Remarks

Islamic calligraphy requires a smooth, shiny, glazed, and impermeable surface to allow thick ink to spread without penetrating the fibers (p. 28). Terms used include waraq and kaghaz (p. 20). Paper became a source of Muslim communal identity as opposed to the parchment used by Jews and Christians (p. 20).