The Story of Parchment: A Legacy Written on Skin

The story of parchment is one of the most elegant examples of humanity’s quest to make knowledge permanent and the creativity born out of necessity. This ancient writing surface is not merely a material; it is the bearer of a cultural heritage spanning thousands of years.

From Pergamon to the World: The Birth of a Specialization

The roots of parchment date back to the 2nd century BC in the ancient city of Pergamon. According to legend, when Egypt halted the export of papyrus, King Eumenes II of Pergamon ordered the discovery of a new writing surface to enrich his library. By processing animal skins, the masters of Pergamon invented “Charta Pergamena”—known today as parchment—which was far more durable than papyrus, could be written on both sides, and could remain preserved for centuries.

A Craft Shaped by Labor

Unlike industrial paper production, parchment making relies entirely on manual labor and patience. The stages of soaking raw hides in lime water, dehairing, stretching, and thinning with specialized knives require immense mastery. A parchment master must speak the language of the material and respect the unique texture of every single skin.

A Bridge from the Past to the Future

I continue to carry this ancient banner, which I took over from İsmail Araç, the last parchment master of Anatolia, in the light of modern art and conservation. In this journey that began in 2007 and reached the level of “Mastery” (Ustalık) in 2017, I reinterpreted parchment not just as a historical material, but as a living, breathing part of contemporary art.