Imeroë—Ubufakazi Bobuhle Obakhohlakala
Ngomlobeli WePhaphama! EKenya
IZWE licishe lawukhohlwa ngokuphelele umuzi wasendulo waseMeroë. Wakhiwé empumalanga yosebe loMfula iNile cishe amakhilomitha angu-210 ukuya enyakatho-mpumalanga yeKhartoum, eSudan, iMeroë yake yaba inhlokodolobha ehloniphekile yoMbuso wase-Ethiopia. Kodwa manje iwukuhlolwa kwezinto esezabuna. Amathempeli ayo akhumuzekayo, izigodlo zayo esezaba amanxiwa, namacosucosu omsebenzi wobuciko sekwaba umkhondo wokwaziswa ngodumo lwangesikhathi esidlule. Ake sibhekisise ezinye zezincithakalo zesikhathi zasendulo.
Ngaphezu kwalapha kunesakhiwo sethempeli lika-Amoni. Lake laba amamitha angu-140 ubude. Ngisho nanamuhla izinsalela zalo zivumbukele ngaphandle kwesihlabathi sogwadule. Izithombe eziqoshiwe zezinqama ezenziwe ngetshe elisangilazi, ezinye zazo ezisengabonakala, zazizungeze indlela ebanzi eqonde emnyango wethempeli.
Endaweni eseduze kakhulu nethempeli, usengazibona ezinye zezithombe, imifanekiso eqoshiwe, nemidwebo okwakuhlobisa izigodlo ngokucebile. Noma ungase ufise ukubuka ngokwazisa izinsika ezizungeze idamu lokubhukuda eliseduze. Isimiso samapayipi amanzi esake sathumela amanzi edanyini ngemilomo evulekile yezithombe ezincane eziqoshiwe, ezinamakhanda anjengawebhubesi edanyini zichwepheshe ngisho nangaphezu kwezindinganiso zalelikhulu lamashumi amabili leminyaka. Izincithakalo zesikhathi, ilanga, nesihlabathi sasogwadule akuzange kuyishabalalise ngokuphelele imibala ekhangayo ehlobisa izinsika ezizungeze idamu.
Onqenqemeni olusempumalanga yeMeroë kukhona iThempeli leLanga, elake laba ngelivelele kakhulu ekukhulekeleni kwabantu balomuzi. Nakuba lingenabo ubukhulu obuhlaba umxhwele njengethempeli likaAmoni, nokho lihlotshiswe ngokucebile ngamatile aphansi nawasodongeni aluhlaza okwesibhakabhaka naphuzi, kanye nezinkundla eziyimifanekiso eqoshiwe ebonisa ukunqoba kwezimpi.
Ubufakazi obuyinhloko bobuhle beMeroë indawo yamathuna. Ngaphesheya kwethafa elikhulu lasogwadule, kodwa eduze kakhulu nedolobha, kukhona imibhoshongo eminingi engafani. Nakuba engenaso isilinganiso nobukhulu bemibhoshongo yaseGibithe, lamathuna ahlaba umxhwele. Lapha kunobufakazi obuningi bendlela yokuphila yasebukhosini eseyakhohlakala. Ngesikhathi sokuchuma kwayo, iMeroë yayiwumuzi wodumo—iParis yasendulo, iWashington, noma iMoscow.
Kodwa obani abaphila futhi basebenza lapha? Futhi yini eyaholela ekuweni kwalomuzi?
Abantu Nomlando Wabo
Abasunguli beMeroë kwakungamaKushe, noma abantu baseEthiopia. Imidwebo yasezindongeni nemidwebo eqoshiwe izibonisa ngokusobala izici zabo zaseAfrika. Impucuko yaseGibithe yazibonakalisa eMeroë, kodwa ngasekupheleni kwenkulungwane yesibili yeminyaka B.C.E., iEthiopia yazikhulula ekulawulweni iGibithe.
Ngasengxenyeni yokugcina yekhulu lesishiyagalombili leminyaka B.C.E., iEthiopia eqinisweni yanqoba iGibithe futhi yayibusa iminyaka engu-60. Ngakho nakuba abaningi becabanga ukuthi iGibithe iwukuphela kombuso owavela eAfrika, lokhu akulona iqiniso. Omunye wababusi base-Ethiopia phakathi nekhulu lesishiyagalombili leminyaka B.C.E., iNkosi uTirahaka, ize ngisho iphawulwe naseBhayibhelini.
Ngokuvumelana nokulandisa kweBhayibheli, inkosi yaseAsiriya uSaneheribi yayilwa neLibina kuyilapho ngesikhathi esifanayo ilungiselela ukuhlasela iJerusalema. Kungazelelwe, kwafika izwi lokuthi iNkosi uTirahaka yayisendleleni ukuzokulwa nabaseAsiriya. (2 AmaKhosi 19:8, 9; Isaya 37:8, 9) Nokho, imibhalo yaseAsiriya ithi uTirahaka wanqotshwa e-Eliteke. Engxenyeni yekhulu leminyaka kamuva, ukulawula kwe-Ethiopia iSigodi saseNile kwaphela lapho iAsiriya iyinqoba ngokuphelele iGibithe.—Nahume 3:8-10; Isaya 20:3-6.
Phakathi naleyonkathi idolobha laseNapata lalisebenze njengenhlokodolobha yase-Ethiopia. Kodwa ngo-540 B.C.E., iMeroë yaqalisa ukubusa kwayo kweminyaka engu-800 njengenhlokodolobha yombuso. Futhi nakuba lombuso waphelelwa ukubusa nethonya, iMeroë yayisenakho ukubusa okuthile.
Phakathi nenkathi yokubusa kwamaRoma, umthenwa wase-Ethiopia wasizwa uFilipu umvangeli ukuba abe umKristu. (IzEnzo 8:26-29, 38) IBhayibheli lithi lendoda yayiwumphathi wengcebo kaKhandakhe, inkosikazi yabantu base-Ethiopia. Igama elithi Khandakhe libonakala ukuthi laliyisiqu esasibhekisela emakhosikazini ayebusa eMeroë. Ngakho iMeroë kungenzeka ukuthi yayinethonya elithile ngisho nasebandleni lobuKristu.
Inkathi Yokuwa KoMbuso
Khona-ke, kungani iMeroë yanyamalala enkumbulweni? Ukwaziswa kuyantuleka. Ezinye izindaba ezenza kube nzima ukuqonda, iqiniso lokuthi ulimi lwamaKhushe asendulo kusamelwe lwenziwe lufundeke. Umbhalo ohlangene weMeroitic obonakala eminyango yokungena emathempelini, izigodlo, kanye nezinye izinto eziqoshwe ngetshe ezisakazekele kuzo zonke izincithakalo uyingqayizivele, nakuba enkathini yokuqala kwakusetshenziswa inguqulelo ehlukile yendlela yokubhala yaseGibithe (hieroglyphics). Amagama eMeroitic angafundwa futhi aphinyiselwe, kodwa ngeshwa angaqondwa ukuthi asho ukuthini. Ngakho ngokwesilinganiso esithile kumelwe sencike ebufakazini obungaqinisekisiwe ukuze sibone lokho okwenzeka.
Mhlawumbe umbuso owawuvela waseAxum waphundla iMeroë amandla ayo ezohwebo, okwaholela ekuweni kwalombuso. Kungakhathaliseki ukuthi isimo sasiyini, ekugcineni iAxum yahlasela futhi yachitha iMeroë cishe ngo-350 C.E. IMeroë, imizi engomakhelwane, nempucuko yayo, kanye namasiko ayo kwanyamalala emlandweni kwaze kwaba yilapho ukuvubukulwa kwemivubukulo kwamuva kuveza obala udumo lwayo lwangesikhathi esidlule.
Izinqwabanqwaba zamanyela ezisakazeke endaweni yezwe ebonakalayo eduze kweMeroë yasendulo zibonisa ukuthi abantu lapho babeyazi imfihlo yokuncibilikisa insimbi, futhi ngokwezinga elikhulu. Phakathi kwezincithakalo zaseMeroë, uthola amathuluzi okulima nezikhali zempi okwenziwe ngensimbi. Indawo yaseMeroë esemzileni oyinhloko wezohwebo phakathi kweMpumalanga neNtshonalanga yaletha abahwebi abaningi kanye nezinqola ngaphansi kokubusa kwayo. Ngenxa yendlela yokunqamula eyayidlula ezinkangala zase-Ethiopia ukuya eIndian Ocean naseAfrika ngaseningizimu-ntshonalanga yeSahara, iMeroë yayingandisa kalula ulwazi nethonya layo kwezinye izingxenye zaseAfrika.
Nokho, iMeroë manje iphakathi kweminye imibuso eminingi engenakubalwa eyanambitha kancane ukuvelela namandla futhi yase inyamalala. Ngenxa yabo bonke ubungcweti bawo kwezokudweba nengcebo, lomuzi namuhla ungaphezudlwana kokuba yinqwaba yezincithakalo. Nokho, ngaphandle kokungabaza, lomuzi wase-Ethiopia wobuhle obukhohlakele wazenzela uphawu olungapheli ngokukhula nokwanda kwempucuko kuyo yonke iAfrika.
[Isithombe ekhasini 24 ]
Isithombe esiqoshiwe ethuneni eliwumbhoshongo
[Ibalazwe/Izithombe ekhasini 25]
Phezulu: Izincithakalo zethempeli eMeroë
Phansi: Amathuna ayimibhoshongo eMeroë
[Ibalazwe]
(Ukuze ubone ukuthi indaba ihlelwe kanjani, bheka encwadini)
ISUDAN
IMeroë
ULwandle Olubomvu
IGIBITHE
ISAUDI
ARABIA