The traditional Yemeni dagger, or jambiya, is worn by many men in Yemen as a symbol of their manhood and authority. But with its rhino horn, buffalo horn or ivory handles and sharp steel blade, a jambiya can put deep dents in the wallet, costing several hundreds and sometimes even thousands of dollars. Part of the reason it’s so expensive is because trading ivory and rhino horn is now illegal and has to be smuggled in, which pushes the price up.
With the average monthly income in Yemen only around $100, according to 2008 United Nations figures, that puts the traditionally-produced dagger out the reach of many. Now, however, there is a solution for those Yemenis who wish to flaunt their masculinity without spending their yearly wage for the privilege: plastic jambiyas.
They have been dubbed the “Chinese,” supposedly after the common perception among Yemenis that anything made in China is bad quality and breaks. But the fact that it costs only 20,000 Yemeni riyals or less (approximately $10) has made it a best seller among customers, according to Bashir al-Ezayri, who works in one of the biggest dagger selling stores in Sanaa’s souk.
“The jambiya in plastic sells well because everyone can afford it and it looks almost the same as the original,” he says. “It doesn’t show that it’s fake.”
Ezayri says he himself only wears a plastic jambiya during the week to avoid the potential of it being robbed on his way home from work, saving his more expensive dagger with a rhino-horn handle for special occasions like weddings and weekend excursions.
Not everyone, however, is willing to be seen in the streets with a plastic version of such an important symbol of wealth, status and virility.
Sheikh Mohamed al-Hazmi, an imam and an member of Parliament for the Islamist opposition party Islah, shakes his head and starts chuckling when asked the question.
“I wouldn’t wear it,” he says. “But maybe I’d buy one for my younger son.”
