Editing Muslin (section)

=== Early period ===
The earliest specimen of Bengal's fine cotton cloth (like muslin) was found in [[Egypt]] as a [[mummy]] shroud around 2000&nbsp;BC. The first commercial mention of Indian cotton is found in ''[[Periplus of the Erythraean Sea|The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea]]'' (63 AD). The book mentions the export of fine cotton textiles from different parts of India to Europe. The eastern (Bengal) and north-western regions of India produced large quantities of fine cotton cloth, but Bengal cotton cloth was superior in quality. According to the text, European merchants procured fine cotton fabrics from the ''Gange'' port of Bengal. In this text, broad and smooth cotton cloth is referred to as ''Monachi'' and the finest cotton cloth is called ''Gangetic''. A kingdom called 'Ruhma' is found in the ''[[Sulaiman al-Tajir]]'' written by the 9th century Arab merchant Sulaiman, where fine cotton fabrics was produced. There were cotton fabrics so fine and delicate that a single piece of cloth could be easily moved through the ring. Very fine cotton cloth was made in [[Mosul]] in the 12th century and later. Arab traders carried it to Europe as a commodity, and enchanted Europeans called it muslin; since then the very fine and beautiful cotton cloth came to be known as muslin. In 1298&nbsp;AD, [[Marco Polo]] described in his book ''The Travels'' that muslin is made in Mosul, Iraq.<ref>[[Marco Polo|Polo, Marco]]. [https://archive.org/stream/mostnoblefamoust00polo#page/28/mode/2up "The most noble and famous travels of Marco Polo, together with the travels of Nicoláo de' Conti"]. Translated by [[John Frampton]], London, A. and C. Black, 1937, p.28.</ref> [[Ibn Battuta]], a Moroccan traveler who came to Bengal in the middle of the 14th century, praised the cotton cloth made in [[Sonargaon]] in his book ''[[The Rihla]]''. Chinese writers who came to Bengal in the fifteenth century praised cotton cloth.