white paper (Kâghaz)

Ingredients

cotton, linen-cloth, silk (Qash, Harır), reed (Kilk)

Preparation Steps

Original Recipe Text

As described by Amîr Khosraw, the manufacture of white paper (Kâghaz) involved several steps: raw materials including cotton, linen-cloth, silk, and reed were first soaked in water (p. 724). These materials were then pounded to create a pulp. This pulp was formed into sheets and dried. Finally, the dried sheets were cut to the desired size using sharp scissors (p. 724).

Evidence

"He states that paper was made with cotton, linen-cloth, silk (Qash, Harır) and reed (Kilk). They were soaked in water, then pounded and turned into pulp with which the sheets of paper were made and dried. After that, they were cut out according to size with a sharp scissor and adds that this light paper was quite costly."

Remarks

The author notes that while white paper manufacture began in India in the 13th century, it was considered quite costly and was referred to as 'light paper' (p. 724). Amîr Khosraw mentions it several times in his epistolary work 'Ijâz-i Khusrawi'.