The appearance of paper in the Islamic lands from the eighth century onwards brought about a revolution in the medieval world: it was first produced in China, then in Samarkand, which became a leading centre for paper-making. This development put an end to Egypt’s monopoly of the production of papyrus, and this and parchment were gradually largely superseded by paper. Chinese kâghid paper underwent a technical transformation in the Muslim world: instead of mulberry and bamboo, rags provided the basic raw material for the production of the high-quality Transoxanian paper. Although paper-making works appeared in other countries of the Arab world in the tenth century, Samarkand remained the main centre for its production.

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