A number of Saudi youths found strange iron balls in the Empty Quarter desert in southern Saudi Arabia, during a road trip they were taking.
A video clip circulating on communication sites documented the moment iron cylinders were found in the desert, while the photographer said he did not know what they were and what they were used for.
According to the video, a child tried to lift one of them, while the video documenter warned him about it, believing that it might be an explosive object, so the child immediately threw it on the ground.
The videographer asked about the nature of these cylinders after they were found, and he also expressed his astonishment about their presence in the desert and their purpose.
اللي يعرف هالشي اللي لقوه الشباب يفيدنا 🤦🏻 pic.twitter.com/pqheMLyWUz
— وتسابيات ﮼شايم (@2022uuu) March 13, 2023
These strange balls and their whereabouts occupied the pioneers of social networking sites, where a tweet commented on the clip, saying: “These iron balls are cylinders that were used before the seventies, as a warning sign for highways or railways at night, and they were filled with kerosene, and flames came out of them to light at night to alert Take the road.”
A second tweeter, Ahmed Al-Mobayed, said, “These balls are empty iron spherical cylinders, which may have been used as torches or oil lamps for night lighting.”
عثر عدد من الشباب في الربع الخالي على كُرات حديدية في صحراء الربع الخالي أثناء رحلة برية.
ووثقوا لحظة عثورهم على تلك الكرات،
وقد تعجب كثير ممن شاهدها، وكأنها قنابل مرمية.
ويبدو أنها أسطوانات كروية حديدية فارغة، ربما كانت تستخدم كمشاعل أو مصابيح زيتية للإنارة الليلية. pic.twitter.com/sMX8eynOSW— أحمد المبيض Almobydh (@f4ahm) March 15, 2023
As for blogger Samir Junaid, he confirmed that they are old torches that were used by soldiers to light sites and paths, and now they are sold as a kind of decoration after being painted and decorated.