A third important reason for the Golden Age was the establishment of a paper mill (factory) in Baghdad and Damascus. Paper was first invented in China and then the Muslims learned how it was made. (Actually Chinese papermakers were taken prisoner after the Battle of Talos in 751 and forced to teach their captors how to make paper!) Soon paper replaced parchment (the skin of animals) and papyrus (a plant made into a kind of "paper" in ancient Egypt). The development of paper made it possible for a great many people to get books and learn from them. This was an important advance which affected education and scholarship.

Source:

http://www.sfusd.k12.ca.us