IAlhambra—Isakhiwo SaseGranada Nesiluzuko LwamaSilamsi
NGUMBHALI KAVUKANI! ESPEYIN
“Hayi indlela ezininzi ngayo iintsomi namabali, ayinyaniso namnandi, iingoma zesiArabhu neSpanish, ezothando nemfazwe neenqwelo zokulwa, eziye zabhalwa ngokuphathelele esi sakhiwo sikhulu saseMpuma!”—UWASHINGTON IRVING, UMBHALI WASEMERIKA WENKULUNGWANE YE-19.
ISAKHIWO sodumo esabangela kwabhalwa loo mazwi yayiyiAlhambra, ibhotwe elikhethekileyo elihombise isixeko saseSpeyin, iGranada. IAlhambra yintsobi yeArabhiya okanye iPersia emzantsi Yurophu. Inqaba yalapho entle ngokukhethekileyo yakhiwa ngamaSilamsi awayethimbe eli lizwe, nawalawula iSpeyin kangangenkulungwane eziliqela.a
Uemir Zawí ben Zirí waba ngumlawuli wokuqala ongumArabhu wobukumkani obuzimeleyo baseGranada ngenkulungwane ye-11. Obu bukumkani balawula kangangeminyaka enoba ngama-500, yaye ngelo xesha bahambela phambili gqitha ngobugcisa nangempucuko. Noko ke, izinto zonakala xa abalawuli abangamaKatolika, uFerdinand noIsabella baluphelisa ulawulo lwamaSilamsi eSpeyin ngowe-1492.
IGranada yayibalasele ngobuhle emva kokuba amajoni eNgqobhoko ayithimba iCórdoba ngowe-1236. IGranada yaba likomkhulu leSpeyin eyayilawulwa ngamaSilamsi yaye abalawuli abalandelayo bazakhela ibhotwe elihle—iAlhambra—into engazange ibonwe eYurophu. Omnye umbhali oliciko wayichaza ‘njengesona sakhiwo sihle ehlabathini liphela.’
IAlhambra yakhiwe kakuhle kanye njengezakhiwo eziliqela ezikuyo. Emva kwayo kukho udederhu lweentaba ezithiwe wambu ngekhephu zaseSierra Nevada yaye ziziimitha ezingama-3 400 ukuphakama. Yona iAlhambra yakhiwe phezu kweSabika, induli ende enemithi emininzi neziimitha ezili-150 ukuphakama ngaphezu kwesixeko. Emehlweni embongi yenkulungwane ye-14 uIbn Zamrak, le nduli yayiphakamile kuneGranada ngokungathi ngumyeni obuka umfazi wakhe.
Isixeko Esikwesinye Isixeko
Igama elithi Alhambra, elithetha into “ebomvu” ngesiArabhu, mhlawumbi lalibhekisela kumbala wezitena amaSilamsi azakha ngazo iindonga ezingaphandle. Phofu ke, bambi bakhetha inkcazelo yababhali-mbali abangama-Arabhu abathi iAlhambra yakhiwa “kukhanyiswe ngezikhuni zomlilo.” Bathi eli gama libhekisela kwelo litha lomlilo elabangela ukuba iindonga zibe bomvu.
IAlhambra asilobhotwe nje kuphela. Isenokuchazwa njengesixeko esakhiwe kwesinye isixeko saseGranada. Phakathi kwezo ndonga zinde kukho imiyezo, iindawo zokuhlala abantu xa bebukele umdlalo, izakhiwo zebhotwe, iAlcazaba (okanye, inqaba), kunye nemedina okanye idolophu encinane. Indlela ama-Arabhu ayakha ngayo iAlhambra kunye nezakhiwo zayo ezongezelelwa kamva iye yabonisa ubugocigoci bobugcisa bama-Arabhu kuquka neendlela zokwakha zamaNgesi.
Into ebangele ukuba iAlhambra ibe ntle kangaka yindlela yokwakha eyasetyenziswa ngamaSilamsi nangamaGrike amandulo. Aqala akhetha umbala ovumelana nelitye aza kulisebenzisa aza aqinisekisa ukuba amatye ayalingana yaye kuza kuba lula ukwakha ngawo. Emva koko asihombisa esi sakhiwo sawo sihle. Kanye kunjengokuba enye ingcaphephe isitsho, “amaSilamsi awugcina kakuhle umgaqo oyintloko wabazobi bezakhiwo othi—hombisa isakhiwo, ungaze wakhe umhombiso.”
Ukutyelela IAlhambra
KwiAlhambra kungenwa ngesango elikwigophe elikhulu, elibizwa ngokuba liSango Lobulungisa. Eli gama lisikhumbuza inkundla eyayilapha ngamaxesha okulawula kwamaSilamsi ukuze amatyala amancinane achotshelwe ngokukhawuleza. Kwakuyinto eqhelekileyo ukuba kuxoxwe amatyala kwisango lesixeko kulo lonke eloMbindi Mpuma yaye oku kukhankanywe izihlandlo eziliqela eBhayibhileni.b
Iindonga zeAlhambra eziciciyelweyo, zihonjiswe ngodaka oluthile ekuthiwa sistucco, nto leyo efumaneka ngokuqhelekileyo kumabhotwe ama-Arabhu. Abakhi balwenza udaka lwabo lube ngathi yileyisi yaye ezi leyisi zenziwa zibe ninzi. Eminye yale mihombiso iba ngathi lilitye elikhula eluphahleni lwemiqolomba nelilungeleleneyo. Enye into ebalaseleyo kweli bhotwe yizillij—iithayile ezitshisiweyo nezilungiswe kakuhle ngendlela entsonkothileyo. Ezi thayile zinemibala eqaqambileyo ziba sezantsi eludongeni, nto leyo ehambelana kakuhle nombala ombatshileyo westucco.
Eyona ntendelezo ebalaseleyo kwiAlhambra yiNtendelezo yeeNgonyama, echazwa ‘njengembonakaliso yobugcisa bama-Arabhu eSpeyin.” Enye incwadi ebhalwe apho ithi: “Kukho izinto zobugcisa ezingenakuze ziphinde zenziwe ngomnye umntu zize zenziwe zibe ninzi. . . . Leyo yinto esiyicingayo xa sijonge ezi ntendelezo zaseGranada.” Iiveranda zayo ezilungelelene kakuhle neentsika zayo ezincinane zingqonge iqula elixhaswe ziingonyama ezili-12 ezenziwe ngelitye lebhastile. Le yenye yezona ndawo zifotwe gqitha eSpeyin.
Imiyezo Ehlaziyayo
Kwakhona kwiAlhambra kukho imiyezo, imithombo yamanzi kunye namaqula amahle.c Ngokutsho kukaEnrique Sordo kwincwadi yakhe ethi Moorish Spain, “imiyezo yama-Arabhu ingumfuziselo wendlela okuya kuba yiyo eparadesi.” Impembelelo yamaSilamsi ibonakala kuyo yonke indawo. Umbhali waseSpeyin uGarcia Gómez wathi: “Iparadesi yamaSilamsi ichazwe kakuhle kwiKoran njengomyezo omhle . . . onkcenkceshelwa yimisinga yamanzi ebukekayo.” Kusetyenziswa amanzi amaninzi gqitha kwiAlhambra—nto leyo eyinkcitho kubantu abaqhelene nobunzima basentlango. Abo babeceba le miyezo baqonda ukuba amanzi anokuwupholisa umoya aze abe yingoma emyoli ezindlebeni njengoko esihla. Amaqula amile okoxande nekubonakala kuwo isibhakabhaka esihle saseSpeyin ayenza ibonakale ngathi inkulu le ndawo yaye iqaqambile.
Kumganyana nje ukusuka kwiAlhambra kukho iGeneralife, indlu enkulu nentle yama-Arabhu nenomyezo omhle owakhiwe kwiCerro del Sol, induli ekufuphi neSabika. IGeneralife, umzekelo omhle wendlela ama-Arabhu awayewuhombisa ngayo umhlaba, iye yabizwa ngokuba “ngomnye weyona miyezo mihle ehlabathini.”d Ngaphambili wawuwela ibhulorho uze ufike kwibhotwe laseAlhambra, yaye ingathi abalawuli baseGranada babephumla apha. Apha kukho intendelezo ekukhokelela kwiZinyuko Zamanzi. Apha iindwendwe zisenokuyoliswa kukubona ukukhanya, imibala eqaqambileyo zize zisezele nevumba elimnandi.
ISingqukru SamaSilamsi
Xa ukumkani wokugqibela waseGranada, uBoabdil (Muḥammad XI), wasinikezela esi sixeko kuFerdinand noIsabella, yena nentsapho yakhe kwafuneka babhace. Xa babenduluka kwesi sixeko, kuthiwa bema endaweni ephakamileyo, ngoku ebizwa ngokuba yiEl Suspiro del Moro (Intlungu YamaSilamsi). Njengoko babelijonga okokugqibela ibhotwe labo elihle nelibomvu, kuthiwa unina wathi kuBoabdil: “Yenza isijwili njengomfazi ngento ongakwaziyo ukuyikhusela njengendoda!”
Namhlanje, ezinye kwiindwendwe ezizizigidi ezithathu eziza kubona iAlhambra nyaka ngamnye zisaya kule ndawo. Xa zilapha, kanye njengoBoabdil, ziyakwazi ukubuka isixeko saseGranada njengoko sizinze ngaphantsi kwenduli enebhotwe lama-Arabhu—isakhiwo esiluzuko lokwenene. Ukuba ngenye imini utyelele iGranada, nawe usenokusibona isizathu sokuba abe lusizi ukumkani wokugqibela wamaSilamsi.
[Imibhalo esemazantsi]
a Ngowama-711 C.E., imikhosi yama-Arabhu neyabemi baseMntla Afrika yalihlasela elaseSpeyin, yaye kwiminyaka nje esixhenxe phantse lonke elo lizwe laliphantsi kwamaSilamsi. Ngeenkulungwane nje ezimbini, isixeko saseCórdoba mhlawumbi sasisesona sikhulu nesiphucukileyo kwizixeko zaseYurophu.
b Ngokomzekelo, uThixo wayalela uMoses esithi: “Uze uzimisele abagwebi namagosa phakathi kwawo onke amasango . . . , bagwebe abantu ngobulungisa.”—Duteronomi 16:18.
c Ngama-Arabhu aqalisa ukwenza imiyezo enjengeyasePersia naseGrisi kuwo wonke ummandla waseMeditera, kuquka naseSpeyin.
d Eli ligama elisuka kwelesiArabhu elithi “Jennat-al-Arif,” maxa wambi eliguqulelwa ngokuthi “imiyezo ephezulu,” nangona ubukhulu becala eli gama lithetha “umyezo womzobi.”
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IAlcazaba
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INtendelezo yeeNgonyama
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Imiyezo yaseGeneralife
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IZinyuko Zamanzi
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Line art: EclectiCollections
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Yonke imifanekiso ngaphandle kongentla: Recinto Monumental de la Alhambra y Generalife
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Yonke imifanekiso: Recinto Monumental de la Alhambra y Generalife
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Imifanekiso engasentla: Recinto Monumental de la Alhambra y Generalife; imifanekiso engezantsi: J. A. Fernández/San Marcos