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The Silk Road's Paper Revolution: How Samarkand Became a Papermaking Hub
Long before Gutenberg, Central Asia was at the center of a papermaking revolution. In this episode, we trace how the technology of paper — invented in China, refined by the Arabs, and mass-produced in Samarkand — transformed the region into a literary powerhouse. We explore the legend of the Battle of Talas (751 CE), where captured Chinese artisans supposedly brought papermaking to the Islamic world, and examine the archaeological and textual evidence that complicates that story. We meet the Samanid-era papermakers who set up workshops along the Siob River, using mulberry bark and hemp to…
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