The History of Paper and its Relevancy in The Modern World
A Brief History on the Creation of Paper
Earliest Applications of Paper (How 9th-10th Century Muslims helped further develop the uses of paper.)
Image is of the Quran and was is from “Reader of Al-Fatihah Apologizes to Al-Azhar, Ready for Punishment.” EgyptToday, 22 July 2018, https://www.egypttoday.com/Article/1/54500/Reader-of-al-Fatihah-apologizes-to-Al-Azhar-ready-for.
Its speculated that the earliest paper copy of the Quran, The Muslim Holy text (“What Is the Holy Quran?”), was printed in Egypt during the 10th century, about a hundred years after paper manufacturing made its way to Egypt (Al-Hassani).
The use of paper throughout the Islamic world meant "producing books became easier and more cost-effective because paper replaced the expensive and rare materials of papyrus and parchment, so mass book production was triggered," (Al-Hassani) which resulted in hundreds or thousands of texts being available.
The expansion of paper manufacturing created new job opportunities based on the various uses of papers. Professions such as dyers, ink makers, manuscript craftsmen, calligraphists, and more began emerging creating new products with it, and allowing the production of paper to flourish (Al-Hassani).
New techniques for paper uses were created by Muslims including marbeling, a veined fabric look, which was used to cover important manuscripts. During the 16th century, the technique spread to Europe where it was prized and known as “Turkish Paper,” (Al-Hassani).
