Ngeya e-Iraq (Iraq) — hhayi kufakaza lokutsite, kepha ngenca yekutsi i-Babylon (Babylon) isekhona

Baghdad (Baghdad). Umfula i-Tigris (Tigris). Kusihlwa ngekusa ngekusa. Umbhali umi embikweni wesikebhe semapulangwe, sandla sakhe sekudla sihlanyela njengemfanekiso lomidvuli we-Assyrian (Assyrian) eminyakeni engu-2000 leyendlulile. Umgwaco we-Mutannabi (Mutannabi) ugala kuvuka — bantfu labatsengisa tincwadi bakhipha tincwadi letindzala letiphuzi etikwemanti, batibeka ematafuleni. Indzawo yekunatsa tiya lephambene ikhipha intfutfu yekucala yemalahle yalamuhla. Emkhatsini wemfula, umsindvo wezindzaba wasekuseni ngesi-Arabhu ukhala — iPhalamende yase-Iraq (Iraq) itawuhlanganisa ngalolusuku ngesikhatsi lesitsite, umsakazi ukhuluma ngekushesha njengobe afuna kucedza inkulumo ngaphambi kwekutsi kugcine ukudla kwe-Ramadan (Ramadan). Tindiza temphi letikhatsakele emkhatsini nemajuba lahamba ngekhatsi ngekhatsi kukukhumbuta kutsi loku akusiko kusa kwase-Mesopotamia (Mesopotamia) lasendvulo, kepha yi-Iraq (Iraq) yanga-2026.

Angifikanga lapha ngenca yebuholi. Hhayi ngenca yekutsi ngifuna 'kubekela inselelo' live lelatiwa ngekutsi lilikhulu leyingoti ngemaphiko aseNtshonalanga. Kepha ngenca yekutsi ngesikhatsi ngisesha 'Iraq World Cup 2026', emkhatsini wetikhumbuto tekuhamba, kwavela sitfombe setinsanga tase-Babylon (Babylon) — libhubesi leliluhlata lesitini lesimnyama lesineminyaka lengu-2,500, libiyelwe ngocingo endzaweni lenetfuleli, kute muntfu. Ngacabanga: Uma i-Babylon (Babylon) isekhona, kungani kute muntfu loya lapho?

I-Iraq (Iraq) iseMpumalanga yePhakathi, lebeyatiwa ngekutsi yi-Mesopotamia (Mesopotamia) lasendvulo — 'live leliphakathi kwemifula lemibili'. Umfula i-Tigris (Tigris) ne-Euphrates (Euphrates) bahlangana lapha bakha impucuko yekucala yebantfu: Umbhalo we-cuneiform, Umtsetfo we-Hammurabi (Hammurabi), Tivande Letintantako. Tindzaba temphi netimpi kusukela nga-2003 tishintje libito lelive leli kusuka 'emlandvweni wekucala wekuhlala' kuya 'endzaweni yekulwa'. Kepha Libhubesi lase-Mesopotamia (Mesopotamia) — licembu lesive sase-Iraq (Iraq) — litawumela live leli emhlabeni weNkosi yeMhlaba nga-2026. Ebantfwini labanyenti labangakaze bafune nge-Iraq (Iraq), ibhola yindzawo yekucala yekuvula umnyango.

UmGwaco we-Mutannabi (Mutannabi) unemakethe yekucala yencwadi eBaghdad (Baghdad) ngeLwesihlanu. Tincwadi tifana nemugca wesikhatsi lophazamisekile: Emkhatsini wetincwadzi tetinkondlo letiphuzi, tincwadzi tesingisi letishibhile, emkhatsini wetincwadzi tetepolitiki tesikhatsi sa-Saddam (Saddam), tincwadzi te-Harry Potter (Harry Potter) letihunyushwe ngesi-Arabhu letihunyushwe tikhatsi letinyenti. Umnikazi wesitolo setincwadi — agqoke titsi letindzala, iminwe yakhe imnyama ngenca yemaka nemfucuta yeminyaka — watsi kimi ngesiNgisi: 'Ngesikhatsi sa-Saddam (Saddam), tincwadzi kulomgwaco tashiswa. Ngesikhatsi sekungena kwemaMelika, tashiswa futsi. Kepha tincwadzi atifanga, umfula awushintjanga.' Wakhomba umfula i-Tigris (Tigris) ngaphandle: 'Lomfula mdala kunato tonkhe tihulumende tetfu. Ubone emakhosi ase-Babylon (Babylon), ema-Abbasid (Abbasid) ema-Abbasid, emathangi emaNgisi — nyalo uyasibuka.'

Tinsanga tase-Babylon (Babylon) tikhashane cishe ngemakhilomitha langu-85 eningizimu yeBaghdad (Baghdad), kuhamba ngenyanga emahora lamabili. Kepha lama-awa lamabili adlula ema-checkpoint emasotja lamane nendzawo yemoya lapho bekunemikhumbi yemoya yaseMelika leyayihamba ngekhatsi. Ngesikhatsi sifika, ema-parking bekunetimoto letimbili kuphela — inye yemholi, lenye yemuntfu lasebenta eHhovisi Lemlandvo Wase-Iraq (Iraq). Umholi watsi ngu-Hassan (Hassan), umuntfu wase-Babylon (Babylon), wavula lisango lelinsimbi lelikhulu le-tinsanga njengobe avula umnyango wendlu yakhe: 'Nyalo akusiso sikhatsi sekuhamba — i-Babylon (Babylon) ayikaze ibe sikhatsi sekuhamba.' Wakhomba tinsanga tase-Ishtar (Ishtar) — emadragoni netinkunzi etitini letiluhlata tisephelele — watsi: 'Ngesikhatsi i-Nebuchadnezzar II (Nebuchadnezzar II) yakha lisango leli, i-Babylon (Babylon) bekungumuzi lomkhulu kakhulu emhlabeni. Nyalo — nyalo ayikaze ibe nemzila webhasi.' Livi lakhe belingenawo umusa, kuphela kusho.

Enyakatfo, i-Erbil (Erbil) inhlokodolobha yesifundza sase-Kurdistan (Kurdistan) lesizimele sase-Iraq (Iraq), simo nendlela yekuphepha kwahluke kakhulu. I-Citadel — lenye yetindzawo letindzala kakhulu tekuhlala emhlabeni, lengakaze ishiywe eminyakeni lengu-6,000 — ikhula emkhatsini wedolobha, ifana nekhekhe lelikhulu lesihlabathi. Umfundzi wase-Kurdistan (Kurdistan) wangihola endzaweni yakhe yekudla inyama lebhakiwe, wadla ngekushesha watsi nge-Aymen Hussein (Aymen Hussein) (umdlali wase-Iraq (Iraq) lowakhulela e-Hawija (Hawija)) watsi: 'Ufake ligoli ngekhanda emdlalweni we-Oman (Oman). Ngalolusuku ngabuka umdlalo ngesikhathi sangempela endzaweni yekunatsa tiya e-Erbil (Erbil). Bonkhe bantfu endzaweni yekunatsa tiya bagijima — ama-Kurd (Kurd), ama-Arab (Arab), ama-Turkmen (Turkmen) — ngalolusuku bekunebuntfu bumunye kuphela.' Wadwetsha indzawo yebhola etafuleni ngesihloko senyama, wabhala emkhatsini: Iraq (Iraq).

南部美索不达米亚湿地——传说中的伊甸园所在地——是我在伊拉克看到的最后一个，也是最不真实的地方。芦苇搭成的浮动房屋（Mudhif）在水面上轻轻晃动，水牛只露出一个鼻子和一对弯角。一个船夫站在他的独木舟上用简单的英语说：'萨达姆曾经想过把这片湿地全部抽干——惩罚这里的沼泽阿拉伯人。水退了十年。然后美国人来了，水又回来了。现在——水退了又涨，涨了又退。湿地还是湿地。'他划了一下桨，前方惊起一群白鸟。不需要任何评论，事实本身已经有足够的分量。

在巴格达的最后一个晚上，我回到了Mutannabi街的茶馆。同一个位置，同一壶阿拉伯咖啡。旁边桌上，一个年轻人正在用阿拉伯语给朋友们翻译手机上关于伊拉克世界杯预选赛的新闻。偶尔蹦出'Mbappé'和'Messi'这样的单词——足球是全球通用的方言。我写下这最后一页笔记的时候，茶馆外面传来了宣礼声。底格里斯河在夜色中什么都看不见了，只能听到水流声。我想把一切都写在一个句子里，但Hassan——巴比伦的导游——在我离开时已经替我写好了：'你知道吗，尼布甲尼撒二世死后不到一百年，巴比伦就空了。但今天的旅游手册上，伊拉克只有'禁止前往'。这座城市的运气不太好——它被历史封了一个太高的头衔，又被现实压了太低的评语。'我付了咖啡钱。留言簿上签了名——虽然没有人会看。