Hi Stu,
Unfortunately, I don't think we will ever know.
But what you say makes sense. It could be that an Iraqi or Syrian dagger was later dressed with silver in Arabia. The blade is, I think, Persian re-use and neither Arabian nor Iraqi. I will etch it at some point, but I have never done that before and I am afraid I will end up just ruining the nice patina.
Your Hejazi Dharia is excellent and beautiful. I see the resemblance, but that is no explanation as such. You will agree with me that the pommel shape of Hejazi daggers is unique in Arabia. My guess is that it has been influenced by Iraq and other regions to the north.
The Syrian desert, stretching from the banks of the Euphrates to the Rift valley +most Northerly provinces of Arabia, is one big void in terms of dagger types. Influences went back and forth across this area. Northern Arabian Shibriyas that have Jordanian features are one example (A.Alnakkas is an expert on those). I think that many features, like triangular/trapezoid pommel, dog-leg blade and Shibriyas as a dagger type come from this area - but that is an hypothesis that is hardly developed yet. I just added few examples from this area that has features some mixed features.
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