Yemeni Blacksmiths Beat Missiles into Daggers

Take this as a modern version of the old saying "beating swords into plowshares": Yemeni blacksmiths turned shrapnel from exploded missiles into traditional daggers called jambiyya.

Sometimes, the raw material of Ali Ghomari's work comes screaming from the sky.
Missiles fired by Saudi-led coalition jets rain down on militiamen and civilians alike, killing and maiming thousands. Children, farmers and others collect shrapnel from their farmlands, from dirt alleys in impoverished neighborhoods, and offer it for sale to Ghomari and other artisans.
From missiles, they do not make ploughshares. They make knives — jambiyya (jam-BEE-yah), the ornamental daggers Yemeni men wear for prestige and as a show of courage.

Photo: Hammadi Issa


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