Two stools, a basin and a knife set the scene in the Meros paper factory, in Kunigil, a village near Samarkand. Over a cup of tea, a craftswoman from the factory explains the manufacturing process to visitors: “[…] she removed the bark from the mulberry wood after boiling it and kept the fibres to make paper pulp.” Inspired by a desire to promote traditional craftsmanship, this factory was founded by the Mukhtarov brothers in 1996 with the aim of reviving the ancient tradition of Samarkand paper. Recognisable by its smoothness, achieved by polishing it on a marble slab, Samarkand paper is unbleached and has a much longer shelf life than conventional paper.

Credits : Éloise Boitelle (France, @eloise_boitelle)

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