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It is believed that the secrets of Chinese paper making were passed on to the Abbasids after their victory over Chinese forces at the Battle of Talas in 751 CE.<br/><br/>

The art of paper-making was refined and transformed into mass production by the mills of Baghdad. Some of the techniques employed in Baghdad included the use of linen as a substitute for the bark of the mulberry which the Chinese used. This involved a more refined and improved method of production.<br/><br/> 

This development facilitated the building of many paper mills in Baghdad from where the industry spread to Damascus which became the major source of supply of paper to Europe.<br/><br/>

After the industry developed in Iraq, Syria and Palestine, it spread west. The first paper mill in Africa was built in Egypt around 850; then a paper mill was built in Morocco from where the skill reached Spain in 950. In 1293 the first paper mill in Bologna was set up. The first use of paper in England did not come until 1309, then Germany in the late stages of the 14th century.
Cai Lun (simplified Chinese: 蔡伦; traditional Chinese: 蔡倫; pinyin: Cài Lún; Wade–Giles: Ts'ai Lun) (ca. 50 CE – 121), courtesy name Jingzhong (敬仲), was a Chinese eunuch and political official. He is traditionally regarded as the inventor of paper and the papermaking process, in forms recognizable in modern times as paper (as opposed to papyrus).<br/><br/>Although early forms of paper had existed in China since the 2nd century BCE, he was responsible for the first significant improvement and standardization of paper-making by adding essential new materials into its composition.
Cai Lun (simplified Chinese: 蔡伦; traditional Chinese: 蔡倫; pinyin: Cài Lún; Wade–Giles: Ts'ai Lun) (ca. 50 CE – 121), courtesy name Jingzhong (敬仲), was a Chinese eunuch and political official. He is traditionally regarded as the inventor of paper and the papermaking process, in forms recognizable in modern times as paper (as opposed to papyrus).<br/><br/>Although early forms of paper had existed in China since the 2nd century BCE, he was responsible for the first significant improvement and standardization of paper-making by adding essential new materials into its composition.
Cai Lun (simplified Chinese: 蔡伦; traditional Chinese: 蔡倫; pinyin: Cài Lún; Wade–Giles: Ts'ai Lun) (ca. 50 CE – 121), courtesy name Jingzhong (敬仲), was a Chinese eunuch and political official. He is traditionally regarded as the inventor of paper and the papermaking process, in forms recognizable in modern times as paper (as opposed to papyrus).<br/><br/>Although early forms of paper had existed in China since the 2nd century BCE, he was responsible for the first significant improvement and standardization of paper-making by adding essential new materials into its composition.
Cai Lun (simplified Chinese: 蔡伦; traditional Chinese: 蔡倫; pinyin: Cài Lún; Wade–Giles: Ts'ai Lun) (ca. 50 CE – 121), courtesy name Jingzhong (敬仲), was a Chinese eunuch and political official. He is traditionally regarded as the inventor of paper and the papermaking process, in forms recognizable in modern times as paper (as opposed to papyrus).<br/><br/>Although early forms of paper had existed in China since the 2nd century BCE, he was responsible for the first significant improvement and standardization of paper-making by adding essential new materials into its composition.