The work performed during the grant period focussed on the material-scientific investigation of both sacrificial reference material collections and real manuscripts. The following tasks, experiments and activities were carried out to achieve the objectives of the project:
(i) conducting extensive archival and historical research on previously untranslated Arabic primary sources and texts that focussed on the materials and techniques used in Islamic papermaking, particularly colouring materials. (ii) the reconstruction of model samples according to the recipes given in the historical sources. (iii) The artificial ageing of these model samples for 70 days in a climatic test chamber at a temperature of 50 °C and a relative humidity of 70 %. (iv) The development of methods to analyse natural dyes in Islamic paper using high performance liquid chromatography–diode array detection (HPLC–DAD) and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) using these model samples. (v) Application of these developed methods to original paper manuscripts from two collections.
The main results achieved during the grant period:
(i) Texts from the 10th to 17th centuries describing the colouring of Islamic paper were translated into English for the first time, reviewed, critically analysed, and published. The recipes cited in these texts described the use of various dyes, especially those of plant origin, as well as different techniques for extracting the dye from the raw material and colouring the paper.
(ii) Innovative methods for the analysis of natural dyes in Islamic paper using HPLC–DAD) has been developed, providing new insights for the analysis of archival material. The developed method using HPLC-DAD was successfully applied to identify six of the seven dyes suggested in primary sources for dyeing Islamic and quasi-Islamic paper red and yellow: henna, madder, lac, safflower, turmeric, and weld. The samples used for the analysis come from original Islamic manuscripts in the Historical Reference Collection of Islamic Papers at the University of Ljubljana and in the Ain Shams Collection in Cairo.
For Exploitation and Dissemination, the following scientific articles represent the scientific achievements of the project during the grant period:
• Ebeid, H., F. Di Gianvincenzo, I. Kralj Cigić, and M. Strlič. 2023. An art-technical study and investigation of mediaeval Islamic paper colouring techniques. In Working Towards a Sustainable Past. ICOM-CC 20th Triennial Conference Preprints, Valencia, 18–22 September 2023, ed. J. Bridgland. Paris: International Council of Museums. (Published)
• Ebeid, H., F. Di Gianvincenzo, I. Kralj Cigić, and M. Strlič. 2023. Chromatographic Analysis of Natural Dyes in Mediaeval Islamic Paper. Heritage Science. (Published)
