rectangular sheets of paper with rounded corners and arching top and bottom edges

Evidence

"The individual folios in the booklet do not form rectangular sheets of paper with straight edges but have rounded corners and arching top and bottom edges... The outside of this last leaf, although made from the same paper as the rest of the codex, is of a darker brown colour, at least partly from finger grease but possibly also from smoke or as a result of intentional colouring."

Remarks

The paper belongs to a multiple-text manuscript (MTM) booklet (S.5531) used for Buddhist rituals (p. 323). The paper shows signs of heavy handling. The outside of the last leaf is notably darker, attributed to environmental factors like smoke or contact with oils (finger grease), or potentially intentional coloring (p. 325). The physical shape is described as having rounded corners and arching edges, which is rare for Dunhuang codices (p. 325).