durable water proof inks

Ingredients

ink, reed pens

Preparation Steps

Original Recipe Text

The material culture of 19th-century Ilorin included the localized production of ink and reed pens within the Islamic education system (p. 10). Durable water-proof inks were noted to be of the finest quality, manufactured by Saharan scholars who utilized local technology to supply their manuscript culture (p. 6).

Evidence

"they acquired precious writing paper, but produced ink and inkwells locally (including durable water proof inks of the finest quality)."

Remarks

Ink production and the distribution of the technology in sub-Saharan African Muslim communities is an important area of scholarly inquiry. Saharan scholars frequently exchanged commodities like gum Arabic for imported European paper but maintained independence in ink production (p. 6). In Northern Nigeria, the scarcity of books led to a strong tradition of copying imported texts using locally produced ink and pens (p. 9).