Islamic Papermaking

Timeline

1. c. 751–900Samarkand–Baghdad · IraqIn the 8th–9th centuries papermaking technology spread from Central Asia into the Abbasid heartland; official and private paper mills appeared in Baghdad, paper costs fell, and the copying and translation of administrative documents and Greco-Persian texts was promoted.
2. c. 1101–1110Cairo–Damascus–Fez · LevantBetween 1101 and 1110, papermaking matured in Fatimid Egypt, Syria, and Fez in the Maghreb; paper supplied al-Azhar manuscripts, commercial account books, and diplomatic documents, forming a cross-Mediterranean circulation of writing materials.
3. c. 1102–1109Al-Andalus–Sicily · MediterraneanIn the same period, Muslim regimes in Al-Andalus and Sicily continued paper production, providing the technical and market foundation for paper's spread into Latin Europe after the 12th century, reflecting the westward extension of the Islamic papermaking network.