Hello,
I agree these guns are associated with Southern Arabia, the enlarged butt is the distinctive feature, but I do not think this necessarily means they were made there. There was much trade and many links with other countries around the Indian Ocean and in particular between the Hadhramaut and Southern India. Many arabs served as mercenaries in the Nizam of Hyderabad's army and there is a particular type of jambiya, often considered to be Yemeni but which I think might well be actually from Hyderabad. I think it quite probable that many of these guns may also have been made in Southern India or Hyderabad for sale to and use by these arabs.
As Colin mentions, Freya Stark's books have pictures of these guns in the Hadhramaut. Wilfred Thesiger's books have pictures of of them in the Tihama and Dhofur. I have also seen Martini-Henry's and Gras' with this type of butt. I have also seen a hybrid with the Indian type of butt David describes.
It would seem to me the decoration on the butts of the second pair of guns suggest more of the Indian influence.
I'm attaching a couple of pictures from the Thesiger collection in the Pitt-Rivers museum which I hope comes out.
The first is a Mahra couple in Dhofur, and the enlarged butt is clearly visible.
The second is a curiosity, It is from Abyan in the Yemen and seems to show a shackled prisoner, still wearing his jambiya!. As they all look remarkably jolly, perhaps it was simply a pose.
Regards
Richard
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