Structural Study of Eight Study Samples of Sheikh Safiuddin Ardebili Tomb Paper Documents Belonging to the National Museum of Iran

Historical documents represent the national, religious, and artistic values of each nation and are its historical identity. Understanding factors that make up a paper can help to identify past cultures and maintain true techniques. One of the oldest known collection of documents of the Islamic period of Iran is the Sheikh Safiuddin Ardebili monument's documents which despite its unique historical values, has not been thoroughly studied in terms of technical knowledge of its constituents. In this study, in order to identify the type of used fibers, liner, and filler in the paper, colorimetric identification, optical microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy equipped with X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (SEM-XRD) were used. The results showed that flax and hemp fibers were used in the fabrication of the specimens and only in three specimens, the ramie fibers were observed. In addition, the results of the pulp identification indicated that the pulp used in the study samples was of an old fabric type that was made by hand. Based on the liner identification test, it was found that the liner in the samples was polysaccharide (starch) and the fillers in the samples were calcium carbonate, gypsum and kaolin.