Little Cyrus, with his small steps in this clay workshop, harbored the dream of a great revolution. He knew that this was just the beginning of the journey, and many challenges lay ahead. But with every sheet of raw paper that emerged from this workshop, he drew closer to his thousand-year goal: a civilization based on knowledge and universal literacy. This workshop was not only a place for paper production, but also the cradle for nurturing the seeds of a brilliant future for Parsa.
After his birthday celebration and Cambyses's approval, little Cyrus immediately began designing and constructing his first dedicated workshop for paper production. This workshop was built in the secluded and remote gardens around Anshan, hidden from public view, with sturdy clay walls and a roof made of wood and reeds. The workshop space was meticulously planned so that each part of the complex papermaking process would be carried out in a separate section, which itself was the cornerstone of Cyrus's hidden production line. He knew that to keep this new technology a secret, no one but himself should be aware of the entire process.
Cyrus, using the knowledge he had gained from his three-year-old experiments and his observations of the surrounding nature, divided the papermaking process into several distinct sections. The first section was the collection and preparation of raw materials. Slaves assigned to this section were tasked with gathering the bark of specific trees from the Zagros, fibrous plant stalks like flax and hemp, and even old linen and cotton fabrics, and shredding them into small, manageable pieces. This section was located in a corner of the workshop, out of sight of other sections.
The second section was the soaking and softening of the fibers. The shredded materials were transferred to large clay basins filled with water. In this section, the fibers were soaked for a long time to soften and prepare for subsequent stages. Cyrus, using his chemical knowledge, had instructed his nurses to add specific amounts of wood ash to the water to accelerate the softening and decomposition of the fibers. This stage required precise monitoring of temperature and time.
The third section was pulping. The softened fibers were transferred to large stone troughs. In this section, slaves used heavy wooden mallets to pound and press the fibers for hours until they turned into a uniform and homogeneous pulp. This work was very laborious and demanding, requiring significant physical strength. Pounding the fibers into pulp was the core of the process, and Cyrus ensured that this section operated completely separately from other sections.
The fourth section was sheet formation, which was considered the most delicate and sensitive part. In this section, the resulting pulp was diluted with abundant water in special basins. Then, Cyrus's trusted nurses carefully immersed special screens woven from thin reeds or horsehair into this liquid pulp. They skillfully pulled the screen slowly out of the water, allowing a thin, uniform layer of fibers to form on it, while excess water drained through the screen's pores.
The fifth section was dewatering and drying. The wet paper sheets formed on the screens were carefully transferred onto clean linen cloths. Then, these sheets were placed between two wooden boards and pressed to remove excess water. After initial dewatering, the sheets were carefully separated from the cloths and transferred to drying racks in another part of the workshop to dry completely in a dry, shaded environment, protecting them from any damage or deformation.
To maintain the secrecy of this new technology, Cyrus had appointed one of his trusted childhood nurses to be responsible for each section of the workshop. These nurses were only aware of the process within their own section and were unaware of the details of the preceding or succeeding stages. The slaves, too, performed only the tasks assigned to them, and no one had a complete understanding of the entire production process. This structure created an efficient yet hidden production line that delayed the full formula's disclosure and ensured the workshop's security.
Finally, through tireless efforts and continuous experiments in this workshop, three distinct types of paper were produced. Paper made from the bark of specific Zagros trees was thicker, more durable, and had a rougher texture, suitable for general documents or long-term storage. The second type, made from fibrous plant stalks like flax and hemp, had better quality, a smoother surface, and high strength, making it suitable for more precise writing. And the highest quality paper, produced from old linen and cotton fabrics, provided the softest, smoothest, and most uniform surface for writing, and due to its superior quality, it was designated for recording important documents and scientific and literary works.