When your jambiya (dagger) becomes blunt from whatever it is that blunts it (cutting up qat?), or if it cracks from the weight of far too many admiring glances, drop down to the local forge in the heart of Sanaa and have it beaten back into shape by barefoot smithys who don’t seem to notice the molten blobs of metal bouncing off their feet, or the bounding hammer that swings down past their head to smash into the white hot metal held down by only a pair of old tin snips. They put on a good show for their client who anxiously waits the outcome of the panel beating on his jambiya and who hopes the foreigner with the camera will just bug off since he does not need these two artisans showing off at the potential expense of his pride and joy thankyou very much!!
