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28 March 2024

Yemeni boy becomes master of rock balancing

Published
By Staff

A 19-year-old Yemeni has demonstrated an unprecedented skill in rock-balancing, becoming one of the world’s best-known persons in such an art.

Rock balancing is an art, discipline or hobby in which rocks are balanced on top of one another in various positions. There are no tricks involved to aid in the balancing, such as adhesives, wires, supports or rings.

Salah Mohammed Baithan has hit headlines in many publications worldwide for such skills, with the latest report about him published in the US magazine ‘The Strange,’ which classified him as second only to a Briton in this art.

Baithan said that he began doing this after he watched a balance artist making amazing forms with rocks on the TV.

“That was six months ago. When I watched that balance artist on the TV. I didn’t ask myself how he could make the rock stand on the top of one another, but I wanted to do the same and I succeeded the first time,” Baithan said.

According to Yemen’s daily ‘National Yemen,’ he began balancing three or four small rocks, spending hours to make simple forms. Now, he is able to make complex forms with very big rocks in a short time, it said.

“In the beginning, when people saw what I could do with rocks, they were surprised. Most of them, if not all, thought that I was a magician. However, after I explained to them that it’s just a talent from God, they believed me and asked me to open a school to teach balancing,” he said.

Baithan feels victorious every time he performs a balancing of rocks. He said that when the weather is calm, he makes forms quickly, but if there is wind it takes a long time.

“To master this art you should have some important qualities, considered the secret of this art. They are patience, calmness, focus, and confidence, especially knowing that each attempt may not succeed the first time,” he explained.

Baithan added that artists need to have some knowledge about the weight of the rocks, the balance point of rocks, and the centre of gravity. It is also important to choose suitable rocks that match the weight of the rock above.

“Using soft rocks with soft rocks is easier than using soft with rough rocks. However, any rocks can balance. The difficult thing isn’t with rocks but with the ability to control your focus.”