IMari—Isixeko Sasentlango Esasifudula Siliqhayiya

UMEMBI wezinto zakudala ongumFrentshi uAndré Parrot wathi: “Ndandinemincili kwigumbi lam lokulala ngobo busuku emva kokuvuyisana nabahlobo bam ngeso siganeko samabona-ndenzile.” NgoJanuwari 1934, eTell Hariri, kude kufuphi nedolophana yaseAbu Kemal kumlambo umEfrate eSiriya, uParrot neqela lakhe bavumbulula umfanekiso oqingqiweyo owawubhalwe ngolu hlobo: “Lamgi-Mari, ukumkani waseMari, umbingeleli omkhulu wase-Enlil.” Bavuya gqitha besakufumana lo mfanekiso uqingqiweyo.

Ekugqibeleni isixeko saseMari sade safunyanwa! Yintoni ebangel’ umdla ngokufunyanwa kwesi sixeko kubafundi beBhayibhile?

Kutheni Sibangel’ Umdla Nje Esi Sixeko?

Nangona isixeko saseMari sasisaziwa kwamhlamnene, indawo esasakhiwe kuyo ibisoloko ingaziwa. Ngokutsho kwababhali bamaSumeri, iMari yayilikomkhulu lobukhosi ekunokwenzeka ukuba ngaxa lithile babukhonya kuwo wonke ummandla waseMesopotamiya. Ekubeni sasakhiwe kunxweme lomlambo umEfrate, isixeko saseMari sasikwindawo entle ekudibaneni kweendlela zorhwebo sinxibelelanisa iPersian Gulf neAsiriya, iMesopotamiya, iAnatolia noNxweme lweMeditera. Impahla ezinjengamaplanga, isinyithi, amatye axabisekileyo—nto ezo ezazinqabe okwezinyo lenkuku eMesopotamiya—zazidlula kwesi sixeko. Irhafu yezi mpahla yasenza safuma isixeko saseMari, nto leyo eyasenza sanegunya kulo mmandla waseMesopotamiya. Noko ke, etha amandla aso xeshikweni iSiriya yoyiswa nguSargon waseAkkad.

Kangangeminyaka engama-300 emva kokuba uSargon esibhukuqile esi sixeko saseMari, salawulwa lungcelele lweerhuluneli zomkhosi. Ngaphantsi kwazo esi sixeko saphinda safuma. Noko ke, ngexesha lomlawuli waso wokugqibela, uZimri-Lim, esi sixeko saseMari sasisele sifadalala. UZimri-Lim wazama ukubuvuselela kwakhona ubukhosi bakhe ngokulwa amadabi angapheliyo, esenza izivumelwano nangokwendiselana. Kodwa malunga nowe-1760 B.C.E., uKumkani uHammurabi waseBhabhiloni wasoyisa waza wasitshabalalisa eso sixeko, ngaloo ndlela lafikelela esiphelweni ixesha athi uParrot “yimpucuko yamandulo eyayihambele phambili.”

Xa imikhosi kaHammurabi yatshabalalisa iMari, ingaqondi yanceda abembi bezinto zakudala nababhali-mbali bale mihla. Xa babediliza ezo ndonga zazakhiwe ngezitena zodaka, bagqumelela izakhiwo ezithile kangangeemitha ezintlanu kwezinye iindawo, ngaloo ndlela bazikhusela ukuze zingatshabalali ngokuhamba kwexesha. Abembi bezinto zakudala baye bavumbulula amabhodlo etempile namabhotwe, nentaphane yezinto ezenziwe ngezandla namawaka emibhalo esithela thsuphe ngale nkcubeko yamandulo.

Kutheni sinomdla kula mabhodlo aseMari? Khawucinge ngexesha xa usolusapho uAbraham wayephila apha emhlabeni. UAbraham wazalwa ngonyaka wama-2018 B.C.E., malunga neminyaka engama-352 emva koMkhukula. Wazalwa kwisizukulwana seshumi ukususela kuNowa. Ethobela umyalelo kaThixo, uAbraham wasishiya isixeko sakowabo, iUre, wasinga kwaHaran. Ngonyaka we-1943 B.C.E., xa uAbraham wayeneminyaka engama-75 ubudala, wanduluka kwaHaran esinge kwilizwe lakwaKanan. “Ukufuduka kuka-Abraham eUre esiya eYerusalem [kwaKanan] kwenzeka ngexesha lobukhosi baseMari,” utsho njalo umembi wezinto zakudala oliTaliyane uPaolo Matthiae. Ukufunyanwa kwesixeko saseMari, kubalulekile kuba kungasinceda siqonde indlela ababephila ngayo abantu bexesha lika-Abraham umkhonzi kaThixo othembekileyo.a—Genesis 11:10–12:4.

Yintoni Etyhilwa Ngala Mabhodlo?

Unqulo yayiyeyona nto iphambili eMari njengokuba kwakunjalo kulo lonke elaseMesopotamiya. Kwakugqalwa njengembopheleleko yomntu ukukhonza izithixo. Kwakubuziswa kwizithixo ngaphambi kokuba kwenziwe nasiphi na isigqibo esibalulekileyo. Abembi bezinto zakudala baye bafumanisa amabhodlo eetempile ezintandathu. Phakathi kwazo kwakukho iTempile Yengonyama (bambi bacinga ukuba yayiyitempile kaDagan, iBhayibhile embiza ngokuba nguDagon) neengcwele zikaIshtar, isithixokazi senzala, nothixo welanga uShamash. Ezi tempile zazinomfanekiso oqingqiweyo wesithixo ekwakuthandazwa kuso. Abanquli babebeka imifanekiso yabo eqingqiweyo xa bethandaza kwizitulo ezikwingcwele, kuba babecinga ukuba le mifanekiso yabo yenza unqulo lwabo lwamkeleke. UParrot wagqabaza wathi: “Le mifanekiso yayifana nekhandlela elisetyenziswa ngamaKatolika kule mihla kodwa ke yona yayilidlula lee ikhandlela ngokubaluleka kuba yayimela loo makholwa.”

Eyona nto yayinomtsalane kumabhodlo aseTell Hariri yayilibhotwe elikhulu, elalithiywe ngoKumkani uZimri-Lim owayengowokugqibela ukuhlala kulo. Umembi wezinto zakudala ongumFrentshi uLouis-Hugues Vincent walichaza ‘njengezulwana laseMpuma lamandulo.’ Lalakhiwe kumhlaba ongaphezu kweehektare ezi-2,5 linamagumbi amalunga nama-300 neentendelezo. Kwamandulo, eli bhotwe lalijongwa njengomnye wemimangaliso yehlabathi. Kwincwadi yakhe ethi Ancient Iraq, uGeorges Roux uthi, “Lalidume okwehashe lomdyarho, kangangokuba uKumkani waseUgarit kunxweme lwaseSiriya, wathumela unyana wakhe owahamba umgama weekhilomitha ezingama-600 ukuze abone ‘ibhotwe likaZimri-Lim.’”

Ngaphambi kokuba zingene kwintendelezo ephangaleleyo, iindwendwe zazidlula kwisango elimxinwa eliphahlwe ziinqaba macala omabini. Engqendeve apho kwitrone ephakamileyo, ukumkani wokugqibela waseMari, uZimri-Lim, wayesongamela umkhosi, ezorhwebo, nezinto zaseburhulumenteni; egweba amatyala esamkela iindwendwe nonozakuzaku abavela kwamanye amazwe. Ayekho namagumbi okulalisa iindwendwe, ezazisidla nokumkani kwizihikahika zezidlo ezinewayini azilungiseleleyo. Ezi zidlo zaziquka inyama yenkomo eqhotsiweyo, eyosiweyo okanye ephekiweyo, inyama yegusha, eyebhadi, intlanzi nenkuku—yonke le nyama yayiqholwa ngeziqholo ezikudidi oluphezulu kuze kubekho neentlobontlobo zemifuno netshizi. Kwakubakho nezimuncumuncu ezinjengeziqhamo ezitsha, ezomisiweyo neekeyiki. Ukuze ziqabule unxano, iindwendwe zazithoba ngebhiya okanye ngewayini.

Eli bhotwe lalikwanayo nemijelo yokugutyula. Kwafunyanwa namagumbi okuhlamba aneebhafu ezenziwe ngodongwe olubomvu nezindlu zangasese ezingenazihlalo. Imigangatho neziseko zeendonga zamagumbi zazityatyekwe ngetela. Amanzi amdaka ayehamba ngeegatha ezenziwe ngezitena nemibhobho eyenziwe ngodongwe yaze yatyatyekwa ngetela, kodwa isasebenza nanamhla oku emva kweminyaka engama-3 500. Xa abafazi abathathu ababehlala kwintendelezo yakomkhulu baye bahlaselwa sisifo esinganyangekiyo, babekelwa imiqathango engqongqo. Umfazi ogulayo wayekhethwa aze ahlaliswe yedwa. “Kwakungekho mntu unokusela ngekomityi yakhe atyele etafileni yakhe okanye ahlale esitulweni sakhe.”

Yintoni Esinokuyifunda Kule Miqulu Yembali?

UParrot neqela lakhe bafumana amaxwebhu angama-20 000 abhalwe ngolwimi lwesiAkkad. La maxwebhu ayequlethe iingxelo zolawulo nezoqoqosho. Sisinye esithathwini kuphela sala maxwebhu esiye sapapashwa. Ewonke ayimiqulu engama-28. Kodwa abaluleke ngantoni la maxwebhu? UJean-Claude Margueron, umalathisi wePhulo Lokwembiwa Kwezinto Zakudala EMari, uthi: “Ngaphambi kokuba afumaneke la maxwebhu aseMari, sasingazi nowathwethwa ngembali, inkcubeko, nobomi bemihla ngemihla baseMesopotamiya naseSiriya ekuqaleni kwewaka lesibini Ngaphambi Kwexesha Eliqhelekileyo. Sibamba ngazibini ngala maxwebhu, kuba siye sayazi ngakumbi nangendlela echanileyo le mbali.” Ngokuphathelele la maxwebhu embali uParrot uhlomla athi “abantu ekuthethwa ngabo kula maxwebhu bafana nqwa nabo bachazwe kwiTestamente Endala ababephila ngexesha looSolusapho.”

La maxwebhu aseMari asikhanyisela nangezinye iingxelo ezifumaneka eBhayibhileni. Ngokomzekelo, la maxwebhu abonisa ukuba ukuthinjwa kwabafazi namashweshwe lutshaba “yayiyinto eqhelekileyo ngalo mihla.” Xa uAhitofele owayengumngcatshi wacebisa uAbhisalom unyana kaKumkani uDavide ukuba alale namashweshwe kayise oko kwakungeyonto intsha.—2 Samuweli 16:21, 22.

Kuye kwaqhutywa amaphulo okwemba izinto zakudala angama-41 eTell Hariri ukususela ngowe-1933. Ukuza kuthi ga ngoku kuye kwavunjululwa ihektare ezisi-8 kuphela kwezili-110 zommandla waseMari. Kucacile ukuba zinkulu izinto eziseza kuvunjululwa eMari, isixeko sasentlango esasifudula siliqhayiya.

[Umbhalo osemazantsi]

[Imaphu ekwiphepha 10]

(Ukuba ufuna inkcazelo ehlahlelwe kakuhle, yiya kwimpapasho)

Persian Gulf

Ure

MESOPOTAMIYA

UmEfrate

MARI

ASIRIYA

Haran

ANATOLIA

KANAN

Yerusalem

ULwandle LweMeditera (ULwandle Olukhulu)

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 11]

Kolu xwebhu uKumkani uIahdun-Lim waseMari udlisela ngomsebenzi wakhe wokwakha

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 11]

Ukufunyanwa kwalo mfanekiso uqingqiweyo waseLamgi-Mari kwanceda ekuqondweni kweMari

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 12]

UEbih-Il, igosa laseMari, ethandaza

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 12]

Iqonga elisebhotwe, ekunokwenzeka ukuba kwakumi kulo isithixokazi

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 12]

Amabhodlo aseMari, izitena zodaka zokwakha ezingatshiswanga

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 12]

Igumbi lokuhlamba lasebhotwe

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 13]

Umbhalo woloyiso lukaNaram-Sin, owathimba iMari

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 13]

Kwafunyanwa amaxwebhu amalunga nama-20 000 kumabhodlo ebhotwe

[Inkcazelo Ngomfanekiso okwiphepha 10]

© Mission archéologique française de Tell Hariri-Mari (Syrie)

[Inkcazelo Ngemifanekiso ekwiphepha 11]

Document: Musée du Louvre, Paris; statue: © Mission archéologique française de Tell Hariri-Mari (Syrie)

[Inkcazelo Ngemifanekiso ekwiphepha 12]

Statue: Musée du Louvre, Paris; podium and bathroom: © Mission archéologique française de Tell Hariri-Mari (Syrie)

[Inkcazelo Ngemifanekiso ekwiphepha 13]

Victory stele: Musée du Louvre, Paris; palace ruins: © Mission archéologique française de Tell Hariri-Mari (Syrie)