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Tarsh
In post-classical Arabic, a ṭarsh (طرش) is an engraved block used for printing. They were made of wood or tin and were in use from around 900 to 1436/1444. There are over a hundred known Arabic blockprints on paper, parchment and possibly papyrus. They are mostly small strips intended for use in amulets. They have mainly been identified in public and private collections, but a few prints have been recovered archaeologically at Fusṭāṭ in Egypt. No physical specimen of a ṭarsh (wooden print block or metal matrix) itself has yet been found.
The origin of ṭarsh, whether borrowed along with paper from China or invented independently in the Islamic world, is disputed. Richard Bulliet, contrasting the rapid adoption of paper and the marginalization of printing in the Islamic world, suggests a separate origin for each and thus the indigenous development of ṭarsh.
Though the use of alternating black and red ink in some printed talismans recalls Chinese red seals on black prints. Similarly, the unusually undulating Basmala calligraphy in TIEM inv. no. 44/14 reflects the distinct visual character of Chinese seal script.
The origin of the word ṭarsh is uncertain. The Semitic root ṭ-r-š (طرش) is related to deafness and ṭ-r-s (طرس) to writing (including the word for palimpsest), but an Egyptian origin has also been suggested. In Aramaic, a language which the Banū Sāsān language of Sīn drew much from, the triliteral root ṭ-r-sh means "to beat" or "to batter." Richardson argues this refers to the production method itself: the physical action of striking an inked stamp or matrix onto a printing support to produce an impression. In the modern surviving descendant of the Banu Sasan Sīn language, the Sīm of Nile Ḥalab smiths, the related word mutrash refers to a type of anvil, further reinforcing the connection to metalworking and striking.
For the most part, printing was not a state-sponsored activity but a "minority enterprise" practiced by a confederation of social outcasts known as the Banū Sāsān, since printed artifacts are only mentioned in connection to them, and the entire vocabulary of blockprinting is in their tribal dialect of Sīn not any other middle eastern languages. (Haykal: large amulet scroll, Sharīḥa: small amulet, Sirmāṭ: block-printed amulet, sarmaṭa: to print, ṭarsh: printing block, ṭarāsh: printer).
Their name is in reference to a certain Shaykh Sasan, who some medieval authors thought to be the son of Kay Bahman, by asserting and taking pride in these royal origins they sought to elevate their social standing. In the 13th century, they acknowledged their estrangement and renamed themselves the ghurabā’ ("Strangers"). This name is the origin of the Gurbeti Romani subgroup across the Balkans and Turkey, as well as the Ghorbati who range from Syria through Iran and Afghanistan to South and Central Asia.
They were made up of various ethnic and religious groups, such as Zutt, Persians, Nubians, Jews and Aramaic speakers, and were predominantly of a Shi'i inclination. They fulfilled many economic niches as: animal trainers, public performers (astrologers, magicians, acrobats, sword swallowers), medical workers (ophthalmologists, drug dealers, pharmacists, female genital cutters), beggars, night watchmen, and makers and sellers of printed amulets. But most important was their connection to the occult sciences such as alchemy, divination and particularly astrology. To such an extent, that the term for these sciences in Arabic and persian ('ulūm gharība/'ulūm-i gharībe) seems to be drawn from their name ghurabā’. They also developed the illuminated Shi'i astrological book genre known as a Bulhān.
To sell as many amulets as possible, ghurabā’ astrologers mass produced them through block printing, deceiving the illiterate masses into thinking they were individually made and handwritten. To maintain the charade, they required strict secrecy regarding the printing process. This culture of guarded secrecy is a likely a major reason why printing was not adopted for mainstream book production in the Islamic world, despite the technology being well-established for half a millennium.
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Tarsh
In post-classical Arabic, a ṭarsh (طرش) is an engraved block used for printing. They were made of wood or tin and were in use from around 900 to 1436/1444. There are over a hundred known Arabic blockprints on paper, parchment and possibly papyrus. They are mostly small strips intended for use in amulets. They have mainly been identified in public and private collections, but a few prints have been recovered archaeologically at Fusṭāṭ in Egypt. No physical specimen of a ṭarsh (wooden print block or metal matrix) itself has yet been found.
The origin of ṭarsh, whether borrowed along with paper from China or invented independently in the Islamic world, is disputed. Richard Bulliet, contrasting the rapid adoption of paper and the marginalization of printing in the Islamic world, suggests a separate origin for each and thus the indigenous development of ṭarsh.
Though the use of alternating black and red ink in some printed talismans recalls Chinese red seals on black prints. Similarly, the unusually undulating Basmala calligraphy in TIEM inv. no. 44/14 reflects the distinct visual character of Chinese seal script.
The origin of the word ṭarsh is uncertain. The Semitic root ṭ-r-š (طرش) is related to deafness and ṭ-r-s (طرس) to writing (including the word for palimpsest), but an Egyptian origin has also been suggested. In Aramaic, a language which the Banū Sāsān language of Sīn drew much from, the triliteral root ṭ-r-sh means "to beat" or "to batter." Richardson argues this refers to the production method itself: the physical action of striking an inked stamp or matrix onto a printing support to produce an impression. In the modern surviving descendant of the Banu Sasan Sīn language, the Sīm of Nile Ḥalab smiths, the related word mutrash refers to a type of anvil, further reinforcing the connection to metalworking and striking.
For the most part, printing was not a state-sponsored activity but a "minority enterprise" practiced by a confederation of social outcasts known as the Banū Sāsān, since printed artifacts are only mentioned in connection to them, and the entire vocabulary of blockprinting is in their tribal dialect of Sīn not any other middle eastern languages. (Haykal: large amulet scroll, Sharīḥa: small amulet, Sirmāṭ: block-printed amulet, sarmaṭa: to print, ṭarsh: printing block, ṭarāsh: printer).
Their name is in reference to a certain Shaykh Sasan, who some medieval authors thought to be the son of Kay Bahman, by asserting and taking pride in these royal origins they sought to elevate their social standing. In the 13th century, they acknowledged their estrangement and renamed themselves the ghurabā’ ("Strangers"). This name is the origin of the Gurbeti Romani subgroup across the Balkans and Turkey, as well as the Ghorbati who range from Syria through Iran and Afghanistan to South and Central Asia.
They were made up of various ethnic and religious groups, such as Zutt, Persians, Nubians, Jews and Aramaic speakers, and were predominantly of a Shi'i inclination. They fulfilled many economic niches as: animal trainers, public performers (astrologers, magicians, acrobats, sword swallowers), medical workers (ophthalmologists, drug dealers, pharmacists, female genital cutters), beggars, night watchmen, and makers and sellers of printed amulets. But most important was their connection to the occult sciences such as alchemy, divination and particularly astrology. To such an extent, that the term for these sciences in Arabic and persian ('ulūm gharība/'ulūm-i gharībe) seems to be drawn from their name ghurabā’. They also developed the illuminated Shi'i astrological book genre known as a Bulhān.
To sell as many amulets as possible, ghurabā’ astrologers mass produced them through block printing, deceiving the illiterate masses into thinking they were individually made and handwritten. To maintain the charade, they required strict secrecy regarding the printing process. This culture of guarded secrecy is a likely a major reason why printing was not adopted for mainstream book production in the Islamic world, despite the technology being well-established for half a millennium.
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