Hello,
Here are photo's of the front and back of a Yemeni jambiya attached to its belt. My understanding is that the jambiya is very often bought separately from the belt hence it is logical that the jambiya would be fully finished in it's own right and yet contain the "eyes" necessary to attach to a belt.
Incidentally, I would not be surprised to learn the British banned the jambiya in Aden during the insurgency, but not so sure about the hinterland. British colonial administration was nothing if it was not pragmatic.
I always thought the real ban on the Jambiya was imposed by the NLF Government which followed British withdrawal in 1967 and was part of a deliberate policy to destroy tribal loyalties and identities as they were considered incompatible with loyalty to the Marxist government.
Regards
Richard
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