Near Samarkand there is an operating paper mill, where craftsmen make by hand famous Samarkand paper on ancient technologies.Whenever people engage their hands and minds to make paper, there is a continuing opportunity for evolution of the craft.
The history of Samarkand paper dates back to the 8th century. It happened after the battle between the Arabs and the Chinese in 751 on the Talas (river) bank. After many years of war the Arabs took many Chinese as prisoners and moved back to Samarkand along the Silk Road.
Here, the Chinese prisoners of war revealed the secrets of the paper production. So, the paper manufacturing from the mulberry tree bark and cotton started in the 8th century Samarkand."
Samarkand paper was renowned for its quality. Many Persian and Arabic manuscripts of the ninth and 10th centuries were written on it. Uzbek writer, thinker and scholar, Alisher Navoiy called paper "wings that spread around the thoughts of wise men". But following Russian colonization of the Silk Road city in the 19th century and the start of industrial production, the ancient recipe got lost.
In 1995, an international UNESCO Conference was held in Kogon, part of Bukhara district, on the subject «Preservation of historical places of interest». During this event, attention was drawn to the development of this ancient local craft which was gradually dying out. Participants were not only craftsmen from various areas and towns of Uzbekistan but also Zarif Muchtorov from Samarkand with a project regarding the re-establishment of the production of Samarkand paper, which was famous and popular all over the Orient but the production of which had died out over the centuries.
Zarif Muchtorov, a descendant of a famous family of craftspeople from Samarkand, decided to start up this type of applied art again in his home. He went to libraries to research historical texts and documents and traveled to many paper manufacturers all over the world in order to learn the technique thoroughly.
After much researching in the years between 1995 and 2002, he had learnt the secret of the art of manufacturing paper and, with the support of the Uzbek government, of UNESCO and of the international Agency «JEIKA» from Japan, he founded the craft center «Konigil-Meros» (paper manufacture) in the beautiful area of the village «Konigil» on the Siyob River.
Samarkand paper is produced here today, in this self-sufficient paper manufacturing company, from the bark of the «Morus alba» mulberry tree, called the «mulberry fruit Balchi» by the people and known all over Central Asia.This field of handicrafts, like every other field, has its difficulties and successes. To produce this paper, the branches of the mulberry tree are soaked in water for several days.
This field of handicrafts, like every other field, has its difficulties and successes. To produce this paper, the branches of the mulberry tree are soaked in water for several days. Then the bark is stripped off, following which the brownish part is separated using a knife. The yellow bark pieces are then boiled for five to six hours in a large cauldron. The bark pieces are then pestled in a large mortar for seven to eight hours by a beam driven by a hammer mechanism until the mixture is very pliant and fibrous.
As a next step, this pulp is mixed with water from the Siyob River in a large cauldron. Then the paper is scooped from the cauldron with a frame. It takes eight to ten hours to bring the wet paper into shape in a wooden press and then stick it onto a smooth board or a window pane. Finally, the paper is smoothed on a marble slab with a shell or an agate stone. And this is how Samarkand paper is made.
Of course the question arises as to whether it is even necessary to produce paper by hand under such difficult conditions in this age of scientific-technical revolution. But Samarkand paper, that was transported 1000 years ago by caravansaries into many far-off countries along the Silk Road and considered as the most precious commodity, is used still today not only by Uzbek painters and calligraphers but also for restoring historical manuscripts and works in both Uzbekistan and Japan.
Local young people also work today in this self-sufficient handicraft center «Konigil-Meros» under the direction of Zarif Muchtorov. In this paper manufactory on the edge of the town, the almost forgotten art of producing Samarkand paper was again brought to life, just as our ancestors presented their handiwork 1000 years ago. This is a really commendable achievement and triggers great interest on the part of all the international guests.