Reservoir pen of Caliph al-Mu'izz
Pluma con depósito de tinta del califa al-Muizz
- Date
- 953 · confidence medium
- Place
- al-Mansuriya, Kairouan, Tunisia
- Credited to
- Craftsmen of the Fatimid caliph al-Mu'izz li-Din Allah
- Field
- Knowledge & symbols
⚠️ Disputed: the sources disagree.
What it is
The qadi al-Nu'man relates that the caliph asked for a pen that would not stain, and was given a metal one with an internal reservoir that released ink only while writing. It is the earliest known description of a fountain pen.
It is known only from the account of qadi al-Nu'man (Kitab al-Majalis wa-l-Musayarat); no example survives and there are insufficient technical details.
What it led to
- concept of the reservoir pen
- European fountain pens of the 17th century