more:
Files are made by an engraving (cutting) process; the teeth are cut in with chisels. Remnants of file teeth closely resemble chiselled/hand-graved engraving. One difference is that teeth on a file will all be cut from an angle and all from the same direction, but this can be hard to see in ground- or forged-over remnants. I mean no disrespect, but I'm unconvinced these aren't file teeth; such are common, while a cross-hatched pattern like this cut as decoration isn't, though that certainly doesn't rule it out.
The central band on the handle is something I'm starting to notice on jambiyas (etc.) from khoumiya to shabria, and also in related forms like those narrow pokey Zanzibari swords. No help there for regional ID, I guess.
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