HE stands in front of a table, on which there are a rectangular basin full of water and small bottles of handmade natural inks and paints. He dips a brush in the water, which he sprinkles on a sheet of paper. He then uses something like a thin pencil to draw colourful dots on the water, moving back and forth, while the students at the Faculty of Art Education in Zamalek look on in amazement. After finishing, he carefully lifts the paper off the basin and shows it to his audience. He's created a wonderful red flower with a light-blue background. He then puts the paper on a flat surface to dry. "It's all water," says Turkish artist Hayati Tosuner, who teaches ebru at the Turkish Cultural Centre in Cairo. "Egyptian civilisation is based on the waters of the Nile, so I think it would be nice for Egyptians to learn this art," he told The Egyptian Gazette, after his ebru demonstration for the students and their professors. The Turkish word ebru means cloud or cloudy, while abru means the technique of paper marbling. The terms are derived from the word ebre, which belongs to one of the older Central Asian languages, meaning ‘moiré, veined fabric, paper', used for covering manuscripts and holy books. Its origin might ultimately hark back to China, where a document from the T'ang dynasty (AD 618-907) mentions a process of colouring paper on water with five hues. Via the Silk Road, this art came first to Iran, where it acquired the name ebru. Subsequently it moved towards Anatolia. Specimens of marbled paper in Turkish museums and private collections date back as far as the 15th century, but there is no evidence to show at what date the art of marbling paper first appeared in Anatolia. Around the end of 16th century, tradesmen, diplomats and travellers coming to Anatolia brought this art to Europe and, after the 1550s, booklovers in Europe prized ebru which came to be known as Turkish paper or ‘Turkish marbled papermaking'. In subsequent centuries, it was broadly used in Italy, Germany, France and England. The Turkish artist Hayati has been living in Egypt for two years. He's working at the Centre and also in an Arabic calligraphy school in the Hussein district of Islamic Cairo. The works in his exhibition are beautiful, representing nature in the form of flowers, clouds and waves. Another painting is of a palm tree, symbolising Egypt. There is also Arabic calligraphy. Some paintings contain the phrases ‘Allah' and ‘In the Name of God, the Compassionate and Merciful'. "Ebru art, in which the artist dives into his inner world, reflects the principles of Islamic civilisation and culture," Hayati said. The Ebru technique involves sprinkling colours containing a few drops of ox-gall onto the surface of a bath sized with kitre (gum tragacanth) in a trough. By carefully laying the paper over the bath, the floating picture on top of it is readily transferred to the paper; thus, each ebru is a one of a kind. To obtain beautiful ebru results, one needs to have a light hand, refined taste and a mind open to the unexpected patterns forming on the water. Patience and a good knowledge of traditional culture are characteristic of ebru masters. "The relationships between the water and the dye, the dye and the tensioning agent [gall], and the quantity of gall in the dye are all very important. It may take some time to establish the right, delicate balance. But when everything is ready, marbling is easily and quickly performed. " Hayati said that it's not necessary to have a talent to practise ebru, but fate plays an important role."It's important to learn and to have the talent, but you cannot control external factors such as heat and dust falling on the water. Maybe even breathing can damage the work." However, despite all that Egyptians and Turks have in common and the fact that Egypt was under the umbrella of the Ottoman Empire for a long time, this art hasn't spread in Egypt. "I really don't know why this is so, but I've come to Egypt to encourage ebru. I think I can be successful, especially with children. I will also be giving training courses in this art at other colleges. I hope that Egyptians learn ebru. It's a wonderful art."
