black ink

Ingredients

walnut peel, musk crumbs, rose perfume, saffron, amber

Preparation Steps

Original Recipe Text

The ink is described as being made from a 'solution of walnut peel'. It is noted that the ink may be formulated with fragrant substances including 'musk crumbs, rose perfume, saffron, amber and others' (p. 5). The text specifies that Muslim scribes differentiated between ink formulations suitable for leather versus those suitable for paper, with each having distinct components and manufacturing processes (p. 6).

Evidence

"The pages of the Mus’haf are written in black ink... it was found that they were usually written in black ink that was dark or slightly faded, or with a solution of walnut peel"

Remarks

The black ink used for the primary Qur'anic text is observed to be 'dark or slightly faded' (p. 5). The inclusion of aromatic materials was intended to enhance the quality and preservation of the ink. The scribe followed the approach of early calligraphers by avoiding black ink for specific markers like the hamza to prevent confusion in the script (p. 6).