Arab paper, European paper, Western paper

Ingredients

bamboo, oiled flax, grass reeds, vegetable fibres

Preparation Steps

Original Recipe Text

Islamic world paper moulds were traditionally made of bamboo, oiled flax, or grass reeds/vegetable fibres (p. 19, note 33). Unlike European rigid metal moulds, these were flexible and did not produce watermarks (p. 19). European papers imported from the 14th century onwards were made using copper or brass wire moulds that left watermark impressions (p. 19).

Evidence

"Arab paper is extremely difficult to date and locate, since it is not watermarked. ... From the fourteenth century onwards watermarked paper made in Europe was used, first in the Maghreb and later also in the Ottoman Empire."

Remarks

Paper became the predominant writing material in the Arab world in the eighth century, replacing parchment (p. 18). Islamic paper research is restricted because Arab paper lacks watermarks, requiring study of paper format, fibers, and mould marks like chain and laid lines (p. 19). From the 14th century, Italian and French papers began to be imported, causing a decline in the local Islamic paper industry (p. 19, note 35).