Watermarks - Islamic manuscripts

‏:(ورق،‏ قرطاس،‏ كاغذ)‏ Paper
Different etymologies of the word
for paper: waraq is Arabic, qirtas
comes from Latin, kaghidh is a
Soghdian (Central-Asia) loanword.
In English ‘paper’ is derived from
the ‘papyrus’.
The image shows a female paper
maker from Nepal, using a simple
mould over which paper pulp is
poured. When the water has leaked
away, the solid material is paper of
blotting quality.
After drying under pressure the
surface of the paper has to be
covered or polished in order to
prevent ink from leaking through.
Source image: Jonathan Bloom, Paper before print,
(2001) p. 67.