Papermakers of Talas: The Forgotten Chinese Prisoners Behind the Islamic Golden Age

Battle of Talas has significant impact on Islamic Golden Age. This paper will explore that important role of Chinese prisoners captured during the Battle in 751 CE who introduce papermaking technology to the Islamic world which helped the Muslims intellectual achievements of the Abbasid Dynasty. This study investigates how the transfer of this technology developed knowledge production and their spreading which helped in the rise of institutions like Bayt al-Hikma (House of Wisdom) to flourish. The questions that I will answer is how paper making technology help Muslims to achieve the golden age? How did papermaking support intellectual development during the Abbasid era? How did this technological exchange contribute to the activities of Bayt al-Hikma and the broader Abbasid Golden Age? Using a qualitative approach, the research will analysis the historical records, review scholarly sources, and compare cultural exchanges of knowledge between civilizations. The paper argues that the transfer of papermaking technology by Chinese captives was important to the Abbasid dynasty's intellectual achievements linking the technological innovation to societal and academic growth. This study talks about working together between different cultures and how sharing knowledge has changed world history.