opponent, the user need not angle the wrist, which makes it more comfortable as a stabbing weapon than straight-bladed knives. Its heavy blade enables the user to inflict deep wounds. Yemeni jambia A jambia is a short dagger worn by men in Yemen. The handle of a jambiya tells the status of the man who wears it. Structure and make The jambia was given its name because it is worn on the side of a person – the word jambia is derived from the Arabic word "jamb" which mean "side". A jambia is constituted of a handle, a blade, and a sheath in which the blade is held. It is made of a certain sort of wood, to hold the blade that is fixed to the waist from underneath with an upward curved sheath. The belt that holds the jambia is made of tanned leather, or some thick cloth. There are specialised markets and handicraft markets that decorate it with golden wires. The jambia handle often tells of the social status of the man who wears it. Jambias were often made with ivory handles. The manufacturers most often receive this material through smugglers, due to the international ban on the substance. As ivory has only ever had ornamental merit in such an application, those that recognize the jambia as a tool and/or weapon tend to prefer a hardwood handle anyway. Many street-side charlatans will proclaim to sell ivory-handled jambias whilst actually selling poorly-made blades with white plastic handles. Qualities The most famous sort of the jambia is that which has a "saifani" or ivory handle. It has a dim yellowish lustre. The more translucent ivory will turn a yellow colour with age. This is called "saifani heart". Some of the ivory handles are called "asadi", when they turn into greenish yellow. When the handle becomes whitish yellow, it is called "zaraf". There is also an albasali (onionish), kind whose colour resembles that of a white onion. The ivory handle jambia is often worn as a sign of high social status. They are typically used by most Yemeni people, except those in the city of Aden where most of them have given up using it. The Jambiya hasn't been specialized for a particular person in the country, but the valuable ones can be found with a particular persons, like judges, famous merchants and businessmen. Antique jambias that have been worn by