Historical Development of Iranian Bookbinding Techniques

The history of Iranian traditional hand bookbinding traces its origins to papermaking learned from China, with production beginning in Samarkand. Various types of paper, such as Samarkand, Khorasan, and Tabriz, were developed. Bookbinding evolved to safeguard poems, paintings, and writings for future generations, initially using wooden covers that later incorporated leather and cardboard. Significant changes occurred in the 15th to 17th centuries when Shah Esmaeil unified the Harat and Tabriz schools at his court, and his son Shah Tahmaseb established workshops in Tabriz. Iranian bookbinding influenced Europe through Turkey via poetry from Iranian writers.