ABSTRACT
Among the grounds used before the appearance of paper, parchment occupies an important place. It is indeed known that the Avesta was written on 12000 skins. Similarly, Jahshiyari says that the Iranians wrote on skins. Paper arrived in India much later than in the Iranian world. Indeed, as Biruni mentions, the Indians in the 10th century wrote mainly on palmyra leaves or on bark. Perhaps the oldest references to paper dates from the reign of Balban. By the end of the 16th century, paper from Dowlatabad was known and had spread not only over India but also in Persia and in the Ottoman Empire. Paper is named generally after the place of its origin (names of places or of people); however, it may also designate some characteristic format, process or the raw material used for making the pulp. Apart from mural painting, other grounds have also been used for painting: wood, leather, terracotta, cloth.
