The word "ebru" for marbling is said to be derived from the Farsi "ebr" or "ebri", meaning cloud or cloud-like. Another logical derivation is a combination of the words "ab" and "ru", meaning "water" and "surface". Whatever the root of the word, the art of marbling, or the method of transferring the dyes from the surface of water to other surfaces, is known in many parts of the world as "Turkish paper" ("Turkisch Papier") or "Turkish marbled paper". I fear that the name "Ebru", so commonly given to baby girls, has been accepted as a name without full knowledge of its meaning.

The first thing to be done is to ensure that the dyes to be used remain on the surface of the water. Later, the colors forming the pattern on the surface must be transferred to a sheet of paper without blurring or dispersing.

There are many packaged chemicals available outside Turkey suitable to aid the process of marbling. However, if the art of Turkish marbled paper is to be preserved with its authentic characteristics, certain conditions must be met. And meeting all these conditions is at best a toilsome task.

First, the marbler must produce his own dyes.

Ox-bile must be used to prevent the colors from dissipating over the surface of the water. Finding ox-bile is a task that can be carried out only making friends at the slaughterhouses since it is certainly not an everyday item of purchase. It is foul smelling and difficult to preserve.

The proper viscosity of the water in the tub where the dyes will float must be found with gum tragacanth. The marbler also makes his own brush for sprinkling the dyes on the