How paper travelled from Samarkand to Europe

Paper was known in China centuries before the common era, and the secret of making it stayed there for a long time. A famous story says that Chinese prisoners taken after the Battle of Talas in 751 brought the craft to Samarkand, though historians now think the transfer was slower and more complex than a single event.

Baghdad, city of paper

By the late eighth century, in the time of Harun al-Rashid, Baghdad had its own paper industry. Paper was cheaper than parchment and easier to work with than papyrus. Government offices grew, copyists (the warraqun) thrived, and books gained a whole market where readers could order copies.

From Damascus and Cairo to al-Andalus

The craft moved west to Damascus, Cairo and Fez, and reached al-Andalus. The town of Xàtiva, near Valencia, became known for fine paper praised by the geographer al-Idrisi in the twelfth century, and it was one of the first paper-making centres in Europe.

Fabriano and the watermark

In the thirteenth century, workshops in Fabriano, Italy, refined the process. They introduced the watermark and sized paper with animal gelatine to strengthen its surface. From there paper spread across Europe and prepared the ground for printing.

Every paper book you hold today carries a trace of this long journey.