Na tafi Iraqi—ba don tabbatar da wani abu ba, amma saboda Babila tana nan

Baghdad (Baghdad). Kogin Tigris (Tigris River). Karfe shida na safe. Wani masunci yana tsaye a gaban kwale-kwalen katako, yana jefa tarun hannun dama daidai da yadda aka zana a sassaka na Assuriya shekaru dubu biyu da suka wuce. Titin Mutannabi (Mutannabi Street) a gefen kogi ya fara farkawa—masu sayar da littattafai suna fitar da tsofaffin littattafai daga cikin ruwan hana ruwa, suna ajiye su a kan kantuna na waje. Gidan shayi a gefe yana fitar da hayaƙin gawayi na farko na yau. Daga lasifika a bakin kogi ana jin labaran safiya na Larabci—Majalisar Iraqi za ta yi muhawara kan wani doka a yau, saurin maganar mai watsa shirye-shirye yana da sauri kamar yana son gama magana kafin azumin Ramadan. Sai kawai jiragen yaki na nesa da tattabarai da ke wucewa a sama lokaci-lokaci ke tunatar da kai cewa wannan ba safiya ce ta tsohuwar Mesopotamiya ba, amma Iraqi ce ta shekarar 2026.

Ban zo nan don jarumtaka ba. Ba don ina son 'kalubalanci' ƙasar da kafofin watsa labarai na Yamma suka ayyana a matsayin mai haɗari ba. Amma saboda bayan na bincika 'Iraq World Cup 2026', abin da ya fito a kan allo ba gargaɗin tafiya kawai ba ne, har ma da hoton wuraren tarihi na Babila—zakin tubalin glazed shuɗi na shekaru dubu biyu da ɗari biyar da suka wuce, wanda aka kewaye shi da waya a cikin wani fili mai ƙura, kusan babu kowa. Tunanina a lokacin shi ne: Idan Babila tana nan, me ya sa babu wanda ya je?

Iraqi tana Gabas ta Tsakiya, tsohuwar Mesopotamiya—'ƙasar da ke tsakanin koguna biyu'. Kogin Tigris (Tigris River) da Kogin Yufiretis (Euphrates River) sun haɗu a nan don samar da wayewar farko ta ɗan adam: rubutun cuneiform, kundin dokokin Hammurabi, lambunan sama. Yaƙe-yaƙe da rikice-rikice tun daga 2003 sun canza sunan wannan ƙasa daga 'mahaifar wayewa' zuwa 'yankin rikici'. Amma Zakin Mesopotamiya—ƙungiyar ƙwallon ƙafa ta Iraqi—za ta wakilci wannan ƙasa a kan matakin gasar cin kofin duniya a 2026. Ga mutane da yawa waɗanda ba su taɓa bincika Iraqi ba, ƙwallon ƙafa ita ce dalili na farko don buɗe wannan ƙofa.

Titin Mutannabi (Mutannabi Street) yana da mafi kyawun kasuwar littattafai a Baghdad (Baghdad) kowace Juma'a. Nau'ikan littattafai suna kama da layin lokaci da aka rikita: kusa da tarin wakoki masu rawaya akwai littattafan Turanci masu arha, kusa da ƙasidu na siyasa na zamanin Saddam (Saddam) akwai fassarar Larabci na 'Harry Potter' da aka yi amfani da shi sau da yawa. Wani mai shagon littattafai—yana sanye da tabarau na tsofaffi, yatsunsa sun yi launin toka saboda tawada da ƙura na shekaru da yawa—ya ce mini da Turanci: 'A zamanin Saddam an ƙone shagunan littattafai a wannan titi. Lokacin da Amurkawa suka mamaye, an sake ƙone su. Amma littattafai ba su mutu ba, kogin bai canza ba.' Ya nuna Kogin Tigris (Tigris River) a waje: 'Wannan kogi ya girmi duk gwamnatocinmu. Ya ga sarakunan Babila (Babylon), mawaƙan Khalifancin Abbasiyawa (Abbasid Caliphate), tankunan Birtaniya—yanzu yana kallon mu.'

Wuraren tarihi na Babila (Babylon Ruins) suna kimanin kilomita 85 kudu da Baghdad, tafiyar mota na sa'o'i biyu. Amma waɗannan sa'o'i biyu sun bi ta akalla wuraren bincike na soja guda huɗu da sararin sama da jirage marasa matuki na Amurka suka taɓa yin sintiri akai. Lokacin da muka isa, akwai motoci biyu kawai a filin ajiye motoci—ɗaya na jagora, ɗaya kuma na ma'aikacin hukumar kayan tarihi ta Iraqi. Jagora mai suna Hassan (Hassan), ɗan asalin lardin Babila ne, ya buɗe babbar ƙofar ƙarfe ta wuraren tarihi kamar yana buɗe ƙofar gidansa: 'Yanzu ba lokacin yawon buɗe ido ba ne—Babila ba ta taɓa zama lokacin yawon buɗe ido ba.' Ya nuna wuraren Ƙofar Ishtar (Ishtar Gate)—dodon da bijimai a kan tubalin glazed shuɗi har yanzu suna da cikakke—ya ce: 'Lokacin da Nebuchadnezzar II (Nebuchadnezzar II) ya gina wannan ƙofa, Babila ita ce birni mafi girma a duniya. Yanzu—yanzu ba shi da hanyar bas.' Sautin muryarsa ba ya nuna tausayi, kawai bayani ne.

Erbil (Erbil) a arewa ita ce babban birnin yankin Kurdistan mai cin gashin kai na Iraqi, yanayi da yanayin tsaro sun bambanta gaba ɗaya. Gidan tarihi (Citadel)—ɗaya daga cikin tsofaffin wuraren zama na birni a duniya, wanda ba a taɓa barin shi ba tsawon shekaru dubu shida—yana tashi daga tsakiyar birni, kamar wani babban kek ɗin yashi. Wani ɗalibi Kurdawa ya kai ni gidan cin abinci na gasasshen nama da yake so, yana cin abinci da sauri yayin da yake ba da labarin burbushin Aymen Hussein (Aymen Hussein) (ɗan wasan gaba na Iraqi wanda ya girma a Hawija (Hawija)). 'Ya ci kwallon kai a wasan da Oman,' in ji shi, 'A ranar ina gidan shayi a Erbil ina kallon wasan kai tsaye. Duk mutanen gidan shayi sun yi tsalle—Kurdawa, Larabawa, Turkmen—a wannan rana akwai asali ɗaya kawai.' Ya yi amfani da tsinken gasasshen nama ya zana siffar filin wasan ƙwallon ƙafa a kan tebur, ya rubuta kalmomi biyu a tsakiya: Iraqi.

Fadamar Mesopotamiya ta Kudu (Mesopotamian Marshes)—inda ake kiran wurin da Aljanna take—shi ne wuri na ƙarshe kuma mafi ban mamaki da na gani a Iraqi. Gidajen iyo da aka yi da ciyawa (Mudhif) suna motsawa a hankali a kan ruwa, shanu na ruwa suna nuna hanci da ƙahoni biyu kawai. Wani mai kwale-kwale ya tsaya a kan kwale-kwalensa ya ce da Turanci mai sauƙi: 'Saddam ya taɓa son bushe duk wannan fadama—don hukunta Larabawan Fadama (Marsh Arabs). Ruwa ya koma shekara goma. Sa'an nan Amurkawa suka zo, ruwa ya dawo. Yanzu—ruwa yana komowa yana ƙaruwa, yana ƙaruwa yana komowa. Fadama har yanzu fadama ce.' Ya yi tuƙi, gaba ya firgita garken fararen tsuntsaye. Babu buƙatar wani sharhi, gaskiyar kanta tana da nauyi isa.

A daren ƙarshe a Baghdad, na koma gidan shayi na Titin Mutannabi. Wuri ɗaya, shayi ɗaya na Larabci. A teburin gefe, wani matashi yana fassara wa abokansa labarai game da wasannin share fagen shiga gasar cin kofin duniya na Iraqi a wayarsa ta hannu. Lokaci-lokaci kalmomi kamar 'Mbappé (Mbappé)' da 'Messi (Messi)' suna tsalle—ƙwallon ƙafa yare ne na duniya. Lokacin da na rubuta wannan bayanin na ƙarshe, an ji kiran salla daga waje. Kogin Tigris ba a iya ganin komai a cikin dare, sai dai sautin ruwa. Ina so in rubuta komai a cikin jimla ɗaya, amma Hassan—jagoran Babila—ya riga ya rubuta mini lokacin da na tafi: 'Ka sani, bayan mutuwar Nebuchadnezzar II bai wuce shekara ɗari ba, Babila ta zama fanko. Amma a littafin jagorar tafiya na yau, Iraqi tana da 'Haramta zuwa' kawai. Wannan birni bai yi sa'a ba—an ba shi matsayi mai girma da yawa ta tarihi, kuma gaskiya ta ba shi ƙaramin matsayi.' Na biya kuɗin shayin. Na sanya hannu a littafin baƙi—ko da yake babu wanda zai duba.