Yemeni men have a unique way to show off their wealth and social class – daggers.

Curved knives, or jambiya, are the symbol of male honor in Yemen. "In Europe, people give importance to the tie or the suit you wear," Yaya Mohammed Sariya, a Yemeni who wears a jambiya worth thousands of dollars in his belt, explained to NPR, "Here, people recognize that you come from a good family based on the jambiya you carry."

Jambiya is derived from the Arabic word for "side," because the dagger is usually worn on the side of a person. The Yemeni jambiya generally has a curved, double-edged blade.

The steel blade is stored in a sheath, made of wood covered with metal or cloth. Various ornaments on the sheath add to its beauty and represent status.

The handle is the most important part of jambiya. The best ones are usually made of rhino horn. However, conservation efforts and policies banning poaching rhinos and exporting their horns meant that the handles are now curved out of bull horns and other animal bones.

Jambiya is commonly used in traditional events, which feature dancing. However, despite the cultural significance of jambiya, it is still a weapon. In Yemen, the dagger could only come out from its sheath in extreme cases of conflict. And carrying jambiya in other countries could land someone in legal trouble. 

What are the cultural elements that best represent Asia? Follow up the "Know Asia Better" series. It will offer you a glimpse of 47 Asian countries, through architecture, art or cultural figures to show you a diversified Asia that you may never have noticed before. Themed in the exchanges and mutual learning among Asian civilizations and building a community with a shared future for mankind, the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations will be held in Beijing in May.

(Cover photo from VCG and redesigned by Fan Chenxiao)