UIbn Battuta Ubalisa Ngohambo Lwakhe
NGOWE-1325, ityendyana lomfana landuluka eTangier kwelaseMorocco, lithath’ uhambo lwalo lokuqala lokutyhutyha awona mazwe athe qelele awayesaziwa ngelo xesha, njengeTshayina, i-Indiya, i-Indonesia, iMali, iPersia, iRashiya, iSiriya, iTanzania, iTurkey nawo onke amazwe ama-Arabhu. Igama lakhe lalinguAbu Abdallah ibn Battuta yaye wahamba umgama weekhilomitha ezimalunga ne-120 700, ebetha ngezikaTshiwo—nto leyo engazange yakha yenziwa ngaphambi kokwenziwa kweenqwelo ezihamba ngenjini.
Kuthiwa uIbn Battuta yeyona ndoda yeSilamsi eyakha yakhenketha owona mgama mde kumaxesha amandulo. Izinto awazibhalayo esakubuyela ekhaya, emva kweminyaka emalunga nama-30 ekhenketha, zisenza sibone indlela ekwakuphilwa ngayo kunye nenkcubeko yabantu benkulungwane ye-14, ingakumbi amaSilamsi amaxesha aphakathi.
Ukuya Kunqula EMecca
UIbn Battuta washiya iTangier esiya kunqula eMecca, nto leyo elindelekileyo kuwo onke amaSilamsi anayo anemali eyaneleyo yokuya nasempilweni. IMecca ikumgama weekhilomitha ezingama-4 800 ukuya kwimpuma yeTangier. Njengokuba isenza inkoliso yabantu xa isiya eMecca, ukuze akhuseleke uIbn Battuta wahamba nesihlwele esasisiya apho.
Ekubeni uyise wayeyijaji, uIbn Battuta wafundiswa kwisikolo seejaji, eyona mfundo yayiphambili eTangier. Bathi besakuva ngoku, abantu ababehamba naye bamenza ijaji ukuze agwebe nawaphi na amatyala awayenokuvela endleleni.
Ukuya EAleksandriya, ECairo NakuMntla WomNayile
Isihlwele awayehamba naso sagudla unxweme loMntla Afrika ukuya eYiputa. Xa wayelapho, uIbn Battuta wabona ilighthouse yodumo yaseAleksandriya—omnye wemimangaliso yamandulo—eyayisele ineenxalenye ezidilikileyo ngelo xesha. Wathi iCairo “yayizele zizakhiwo, inobuhle nobunewunewu obungenakuthelekiswa, iphithizela zonke iintlobo zabantu, amakhoboka nezithwala-ndwe.” Wazithanda kakhulu izikhephe, izitiya, iivenkile, izindlu zecawa namasiko esi sixeko. Njengesiko lakhe, wathi xa efika eYiputa wazama ukuzisondeza kubefundisi, iinkcuba-buchopho nezinye iingcungcu zalapho.
Ukusuka kwakhe eCairo, wanyusa umNayile esiya kumNtla weYiputa, endleleni eman’ ukulalisa kwizindlu zamadoda akwalizwi, kumakhaya oonongendi, kwiihostele neekholeji—nto leyo eyayixhaphakile kwizixeko zamaSilamsi. Wayefuna ukunqumla intlango aye kufika kuLwandle Olubomvu, ahambe ngenqanawa ukuya eArabhiya, emva koko aye eMedina eyayilikhaya lendlu yecawa yomprofeti uMuhammad aze ke aye kutsho eMecca. Kodwa ke waphazanyiswa yimfazwe waza wabuyela eCairo.
Ukuhamba Ngendlel’ ende
UIbn Battuta owayesazimisele ukuya eMedina naseMecca, wenyuka waya eGaza naseHebron waza emva koko waya kufika kwindawo ekukholelwa ukuba kwangcwatyelwa kuyo uAbraham, uIsake noYakobi. Endleleni eya eYerusalem nakwitempile yayo ebizwa ngokuba yiDome of the Rock, wema eBhetelehem waza waphawula ukuba abantu ababesithi bangamaKristu babeyinqula le dolophu ekwazalelwa kuyo uYesu.
Ukusuka apho, uIbn Battuta wenyuka waya eDamasko apho wafunda neenkcuba-buchopho zamaSilamsi waza wafumana amawonga okuba ngumfundisi. Wathi iUmayyad Mosque yalapho “yayiyeyona intle” emhlabeni. Kwiivenkile zalapho kwakuthengiswa izacholo, amalaphu, iincwadi nezinto ezenziwe ngeglasi ngoxa kwiindawo zamagqwetha kwakumi “amangqina amahlanu okanye amathandathu kunye nomtshatisi ogunyaziswe yijaji.” NoIbn Battuta watshata ngoxa wayeseDamasko. Kodwa ke akukho nto ingako ithethwayo ngaloo mfazi wakhe, njengokuba kunjalo nangabanye abafazi namashweshwe akhe.
Xa wayeseDamasko, uIbn Battuta wadibana namanye amakholwa awayesiya eMecca. Endleleni, eli qela lagxumeka iintente ngasemthonjeni apho abantu babesebenzisa izikhumba zenyathi ukuze benze amaqula amakhulu namatanki. Iqela lakhe laseza iinkamela zalo laza lazalisa neentsuba zalo ngaphambi kokuba liwele intlango. Ekugqibeleni uIbn Battuta wada wafika eMecca. Olu yayiluhambo lokuqala kwasixhenxe ukuya apho. Amakholwa amaninzi abuyela ekhaya emva kokunqula. Kodwa ke Ibn Battuta yena akazange enjenjalo. Wasingisa eBaghdad yaye omnye umbhali uthi, waya apho “kuba nje wayengunyawo lwambeth’ indlela.”
Uqalisa Ukutyhutyha Ihlabathi
Xa wayeseBaghdad ngelo xesha eyayilikomkhulu lamaSilamsi, uIbn Battuta wazithanda kakhulu iindawo zalapho zokuhlamba zikawonke-wonke. Wathi: “Indawo nganye inamagumbi aliqela yaye kwigumbi ngalinye kukho ibhafu eneetephu ezimbini zamanzi ashushu nabandayo.” UIbn wancedwa yinjengele eyayinobubele ukuze adibane nomlawuli uAbu Sa’id. Lo mlawuli wapha uIbn Battuta izipho ezixabisekileyo—ihashe, isambatho seendwalutho kunye neleta yokumazisa eyayicela umlawuli waseBaghdad ukuba amnike iinkamela nezinye izinto awayenokuzidinga.
Wandula ke uIbn Battuta waya kumazibuko eMpuma Afrika iMogadishu, iMombasa neZanzibar ngaphambi kokuba aye eArabhiya nakuSingasiqithi wasePersi. Kamva wachaza abantu, amasiko nezinto ezithengiswayo awazibona endleleni—indlela ababephathwa ngobubele ngayo abarhwebi eSomalia, ukutyiwa kwebetel-nut nokulinywa kwekhokhonathi eYemen kunye nokukhangelwa kweeperile kuSingasiqithi wasePersi. Emva koko waya eIndiya ngendlela ejikelezayo—edlula eYiputa, eSiriya naseAnatolia (eTurkey); wawela uLwandle Olumnyama; wajikela ngakumntla woLwandle iCaspian; waza wehla esiya kumazwe namhlanje abizwa ngokuba yiKazakhstan, iUzbekistan, iAfghanistan nePakistan.
Ukusuka EIndiya Ukuya ETshayina
Xa wayeseIndiya, uIbn Battuta waba yijaji kwinkundla yomlawuli waseDelhi kangangeminyaka esibhozo. Ekubeni wayesazi ukuba uIbn Battuta urhawuzelelwa ziinyawo, lo mlawuli wamthuma ukuba abe ngunozakuzaku wakhe kuTogon-temür, umlawuli waseTshayina owayengumMongoliya. Wayephathiswe isipho salo mlawuli esasiquka “amahashe alikhulu, ikhulu lamakhoboka angabelungu, amantombazana alikhulu amaHindu, adanisayo naculayo, amalaphu awahlukahlukeneyo aliwaka elinamakhulu mabini, igolide nesilivere, iziphatho zamakhandlela nezitya, izambatho zexabiso, iikepusi, izingxobo zeentolo, amakrele, iiglavu ezihonjiswe ngeeperile kunye namathenwa alishumi elinesihlanu.”
Xa wayeseCalicut izibuko elikumazantsi eIndiya, uIbn Battuta wabona iinqanawa zabarhwebi ezinkulu ezazisiya eTshayina ibe wayezimisele ukukhwela kwenye yazo. Ezo nqanawa zazineeseyile ezili-12 ezenziwe ngamagqabi aphothiweyo yaye zazithwele abantu abali-1 000—oomatiloshe abangama-600 namajoni angama-400. UIbn Battuta wathi, iintsapho zoomatiloshe zazihlala ezinqanaweni apho “zazilima imifuno nejinja kumatanki eplanga.”
UIbn Battuta waphukelwa yinqanawa waza akakwazi ukuya kuzakuza eTshayina njengoko wayethunyiwe. Kunoko, wasebenzela umlawuli ongumSilamsi waseMaldives yaye wayengumntu wokuqala ukuchazela ihlabathi ngamasiko elo. Kodwa ke ekugqibeleni wade wafika eTshayina. Noko ke, nangona zikho izinto awazithandayo ngelo, wakwaphawula nezinto ezazingavumelani nokholo lwakhe. Izinto awazibhalayo ngelaseTshayina zenza abanye bathandabuze ukuba unyanisile xa esithi walityhutyha elo lizwe. Kusenokwenzeka ukuba waya nje kumazibuko akumzantsi weTshayina.
Intlungu Endleleni Ebuyela Ekhaya
Ukubuyela kwakhe eDamasko, uIbn Battuta wafumanisa ukuba unyana awayemshiye apho kwiminyaka engama-20 ngaphambili, wayesele eneminyaka eli-12 waswelekayo yaye uyise owayehlala eTangier yena wayeneminyaka eli-15 engasekho. Ngelo xesha yayingunyaka we-1348 yaye uMbindi Mpuma wawuthwaxwa kukuFa Okumnyama. UIbn Battuta wathi eCairo kwakusifa abantu abangama-21 000 suku ngalunye.
Kunyaka kamva, le ndoda ngoko eyayineminyaka engama-45 ubudala yafika kwelaseMorocco, apho yeva ukuba unina wayebulewe seso sifo kwiinyanga ezimbalwa ngaphambili. UIbn Battuta wayeneminyaka engama-21 ubudala ukumka kwakhe. Ngaba wayanelisekile kukutyhutyha umhlaba kangangeminyaka engama-24? Kuyacaca ukuba akunjalo, kuba kungekudala wajongis’ umbombo eSpeyin. Kwiminyaka emithathu kamva wathath’ uhambo lwakhe lokugqibela olwamsa kuMlambo iNiger naseTombouctou (Timbuktu), isixeko selizwe laseAfrika namhlanje elibizwa ngokuba yiMali.
Uyalelwa Ukuba Abhale Ibali Lobomi Bakhe
Emva kokuva ngokhenketho lukaIbn Battuta, umlawuli waseMorocco wamyalela ukuba abhale ibali lobomi bakhe ukuze laziwe yinkundla yakhe, ibe wathuma uIbn Juzayy ukuba abe ngunobhala wakhe. Le ncwadi ayizange isasazwe kangako ngesiArabhu kwaye yaguqulelwa ngeelwimi zaseNtshona kuphela emva kokuba ibhaqwe ngabaphengululi baseYurophu ngenkulungwane ye-19
UIbn Juzayy uthi le ncwadi libali elishwankathelweyo lezinto ezenzeka kulo mkhenkethi kodwa kuyabonakala ukuba zikho izinto awazitshintshayo lo nobhala kweli bali. Nakuba kunjalo, le ncwadi isikrobisa kubomi, ezoshishino, amasiko, unqulo nezopolitiko zamazwe awawatyelelayo uIbn Battuta, ingakumbi lawo akumazwe amaSilamsi kumaxesha aphakathi.
[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 14]
Umzobo owenziwa ngual-Wasiti ngenkulungwane ye-13, obonisa amakholwa angamaSilamsi amaxesha aphakathi ekwihajj
[Inkcazelo]
Scala/White Images/Art Resource, NY
[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 16]
Imaphu yowe-1375 yoMntla-mpuma weSpeyin, ibonisa inxalenye yommandla owatyelelwa nguIbn Battuta
[Inkcazelo]
Snark/Art Resource, NY