IIraq Amabali: Ndaya E-Iraq—Kungengokuba Ndifuna Ukungqina Nto, Kodwa Ngenxa Yokuba I-Babylon Iselapho

I-Baghdad. UMlambo i-Tigris. Ngentsimbi yesithandathu ekuseni. Umlobi wayemi emazantsi esikhepheni sakhe somthi, ephosa umnatha wakhe ngeyona ndlela ifana naleyo yayizotywe kwimifanekiso eqingqiweyo yase-Asiriya kwiminyaka engamawaka amabini eyadlulayo. Ngaphaya komlambo, iSitrato i-Mutannabi yayivuka — abathengisi beencwadi bevula iiseyile, bebeka imiqulu emthubi kumadanqana avulekileyo. Indlu yeti echaseneyo yayithumela umsi wamalahle wokuqala wentsasa. Ukusuka kwisithethi esithile ecaleni komlambo kwavela iindaba zasekuseni ngesi-Arabic — ipalamente yase-Iraq ixoxa ngomthetho othile, isantya somsasazi sikhawuleza njengomntu ozama ukugqiba isivakalisi phambi kokuba ukuzila kwe-Ramadan kuqale. Kuphela ziinqwelo-moya zokulwa ezikude kunye nehobe elidlula ngamathuba athile ezakukhumbuza ukuba le yayingeyontsasa yamandulo yase-Mesopotamiya — le yayiyi-Iraq ngo-2026.

Bendingezanga apha ngenjongo yokuba ligorha. Kungekuko ngenxa yokuba ndifuna 'ukucela umngeni' kwilizwe elichazwa njengeliyingozi ngamajelo eendaba aseNtshona. Kwakungenxa yokuba, emva kophando olunye lwe-'Iraq World Cup 2026,' isikrini sam sasibonise okungaphezulu kunezilumkiso zokuhamba — sasibonise ifoto yamabhodlo ase-Babylon. Ingonyama e-blue-glazed, iminyaka engamawaka amabini anesiqingatha ubudala, ngasemva kocingo lwetsheyini kwintendelezo enothuli, iphantse yodwa. Ingcinga yam ngelo xesha: ukuba i-Babylon iselapho, kutheni kungekho mntu uyayo?

I-Iraq ihleli kuMbindi Mpuma, i-Mesopotamiya yamandulo — 'ilizwe eliphakathi kwemilambo emibini.' I-Tigris ne-Euphrates zidibana apha, zivelisa eyona mpucuko yokuqala yoluntu: ukubhalwa nge-cuneiform, i-Code of Hammurabi, i-Hanging Gardens. Iimfazwe neengxabano ukusukela ngo-2003 ziye zaphinda zalibhala igama leli lizwe ukusuka 'kwindawo yokuzalwa kwempucuko' ukuya 'kwindawo yeengxabano.' Kodwa ii-Lions of Mesopotamia — iqela lesizwe lase-Iraq — liza kumela eli lizwe kwiqonga leNdebe yeHlabathi ngo-2026. Kubantu abaninzi abangazange bakhangele i-Iraq, ibhola ekhatyawayo sisizathu sokuqala sokuvula lo mnyango.

I-Sitrato i-Mutannabi ibamba eyona marike yeencwadi intle yase-Baghdad rhoqo ngolwesiHlanu. Ukhetho lulandelelwano lweziganeko oluxubeneyo: imiqulu yesihobe emthubi ecaleni kweencwadi ze-English ezinexabiso eliphantsi, iincwadana zezopolitiko zexesha lika-Saddam ecaleni kweenguqulelo ze-Arabic ezigugileyo ze-Harry Potter. Umnini-venkile yeencwadi — iiglasi zokufunda zihleli empumlweni, iminwe yakhe ingwevu ngenxa yamashumi eminyaka ye-inki nothuli — wathetha nam ngesiNgesi: 'Ngexesha lika-Saddam, iivenkile zeencwadi kwesi sitrato zatshiswa. Ngexesha lohlaselo lwaseMelika, zaphinda zatshiswa. Kodwa iincwadi azizange zife, kwaye umlambo awuzange utshintshe.' Wakhomba phandle e-Tigris: 'Lo mlambo mdala kunazo zonke iirejim esakhe saba nazo zidibene. Uzibonile iikumkani zase-Babylon, iimbongi zobukhosi be-Abbasid, iitanki zase-Bhritane — kwaye ngoku uyasibukela thina.'

Amabhodlo ase-Babylon angamalunga neekhilomitha ezingamashumi asibhozo anesihlanu emazantsi e-Baghdad, uhambo lweeyure ezimbini. Kodwa ezo yure zimbini zidlula ubuncinane kwizikhululo zokuhlola zomkhosi ezine nakwisiqwenga somoya apho iidrones zaseMelika zazikade zigada kakhulu. Ekufikeni, ndabala iimoto ezimbini kwindawo yokupaka — enye yayingeyomkhaphi enye yayingeyomqeshwa wecandelo lolondolozo lwezinto zakudala lase-Iraq. Umkhaphi, umntu wasekuhlaleni ovela kwiPhondo lase-Babylon ogama lingu-Hassan, wavula isango lentsimbi elinzima lendawo yokumbiwa kwezinto zakudala ngobulula obuqhelekileyo bomntu ovula umva wendlu yakhe: 'Ayloxesha labakhenkethi — i-Babylon ayikhe ilixesha labakhenkethi.' Wakhomba kwiSango i-Ishtar — iithayile zalo ezi-blue-glazed, iidragons neenkunzi zeenkomo zisaphelele — wathi: 'Xa u-Nebuchadnezzar II wayesakha eli sango, i-Babylon yayisesona sixeko sikhulu eMhlabeni. Ngoku — ngoku ayinayo nendlela yebhasi.' Kwakungekho kuzisizela kwilizwi lakhe. Yayiyinkcazo nje.

Emantla ngakumbi, i-Erbil, ikomkhulu loMmandla we-Kurdistan yase-Iraq, isebenza ngesantya nenqanaba lokhuseleko elahluke ngokupheleleyo. I-Citadel — eyona ndawo indala yokuhlala eqhubekayo eMhlabeni, engazange ishiywe kwiminyaka engamawaka amathandathu — iphakama embindini wesixeko njengeqebengwana elikhulu elinombala wesanti. Umfundi waseyunivesithi ongum-Kurd wandisa kwindawo yakhe ayithandayo yekebab kwaye, phakathi kokuluma okunomdla, wandixelela ngenqaku lika-Aymen Hussein lamva nje, elifakwe ngentloko ngokuchasene ne-Oman. 'Yonke indlu yeti e-Erbil yatsiba ngaxeshanye — ama-Kurds, ama-Arabhu, ama-Turkmen — kwakukho ubuni obunye kuphela kwelo gumbi.' Wasebenzisa isikhuni sakhe sekebab ukuzoba imo yebala lebhola ekhatywayo etafileni, wabhala amagama amabini embindini: Iraq.

IMarshes zase-Mesopotamiya emazantsi — indawo eyintsomi ye-Garden of Eden — yayiyinto yokugqibela, neyona ingaqhelekanga, endayibona e-Iraq. Izindlu ezidadayo zengcongolo ezibizwa ngokuba yi-mudhif zazishukuma ngobunono emanzini. Iinkomo zamanzi zazingabonisi nto ngaphezu kwamanzi ngaphandle kweempumlo neepere zeempondo ezigobileyo. Umqhubi wesikhephe, emi kwisikhephe sakhe se-mashoof, wathi ngesiNgesi esilula: 'U-Saddam wakha wazama ukuwakhupha onke la marshes — ukohlwaya ama-Marsh Arabs awayehlala apha. Amanzi anyamalala iminyaka elishumi. Emva koko kwafika amaMelika, amanzi abuya. Ngoku — amanzi ehla, enyuka, ehla kwakhona. I-marshes iseyi-marshes.' Wathoba isibonda sakhe sokukhepha; phambi kwethu, umhlambi weentaka ezimhlophe waphaphazela. Akukho magqabantshintshi ayedingeka. Iinyani ngokwazo zazithwele bonke ubunzima.

Ngorhatya lwam lokugqibela e-Baghdad, ndabuyela kuloo ndlu yeti kwisitrato i-Mutannabi. Isitulo esinye, imbiza yekofu yase-Arabia inye. Kwitafile ekufutshane, umfana wayeguqulela ezona ndaba zamva nje zokuhlungela iNdebe yeHlabathi ye-Iraq ukusuka efowunini yakhe esiya kubahlobo bakhe ngesi-Arabic, amagama athi 'Mbappé' no-'Messi' ephumela ngamathuba athile — ibhola ekhatywayo lulwimi lwehlabathi lonke. Njengoko ndandibhala la manqaku okugqibela, umbizo womthandazo wavakala ngaphandle. I-Tigris, ingabonakali ebumnyameni, yayivakala kuphela ngoku — isandi samanzi ashukumayo. Ndandifuna ukufaka yonke into kwisivakalisi esinye, kodwa u-Hassan — umkhaphi wase-Babylon — wayesele eyibhalele kakade xa ndihamba: 'Uyazi, ngaphantsi kwekhulu leminyaka emva kokuba u-Nebuchadnezzar eswelekile, i-Babylon yayingenamntu. Kodwa iincwadi zezikhokelo zabakhenkethi zanamhlanje? I-Iraq ifumana umgca omnye: Musa ukuhamba. Ithamsanqa lesi sixeko alikho lihle — imbali yasinika isihloko esikhulu kakhulu, kwaye ixesha langoku lasinika uphononongo olufutshane kakhulu.' Ndahlawula ikofu yam. Ndatyikitya incwadi yeendwendwe — nangona kwakungekho mntu uza kuyifunda.