thouma jambiya for comment

[Marc M.]

Originally Posted by TVV

If the blade is indeed hollow that is obviously less than optimal, but the fittings look like they have some age. I am not sure how developed the tourist industry was in Yemen even during rare times of peace, and I have always thought that the majority of cheaper, more recent examples with hollow blades and plastic hilts were aimed at the local market. As such they would have still been used within the culture and therefore would still be ethnographic arms, even if their overall quality is low.

Hello Teodor, thank you for your response. I agree with you that the tourist industry is very small or non-existent in Jemen and that there are jambiyas for rich and poor. I've probably been guided by the word 'elite' and expected more quality, it looked better on the seller's photo's.
There may be members of the religious elite who are not well off and can only afford this quality. If you look at the blade edge with a magnifying glass, you will see a seam here and there between the two halves. The handle is horn.
The photo's are of the first jambiya i bought, well used and again a hollow blade.

Best regards
Marc