Ukucanda kwiintlango zentlabathi zaseYordan; amatye ezikhumbuzo agxunyekwe esantini ngendlela engaqondakaliyo ePetra, iziza zebhayibhile, iindunduma ezibharhileyo kunye nesibhakabhaka esineenkwenkwezi ebusuku eWadi Rum zonke zindisondeza ekuqondeni ukuba yayiyintoni na ngalo mhlaba owathi wabangela umdla kwindoda eyathi yaziwa ngokuba nguLawrence waseArabia.
Igorha kwabaninzi, ingcatshi kwabanye; isifundiswa, igorha, isalamane, umhlobo wezizwe zama-Arabhu okanye intlola elula yokuphanga. Zonke zisetyenzisiwe ukuchaza umlinganiswa omkhulu kunobomi ilifa lakhe libe yintsomi kwaye ngamanye amaxesha kuyaphikiswana apha.
Wazalelwa uThomas Edward Lawrence, okanye uTE Lawrence, waba yintsomi phantse kwinkulungwane eyadlulayo njengoko wayesilwa kunye nezizwe zamaBedouin ngokuchasene namaTurkey aseOttoman ngexesha lemvukelo yama-Arabhu yeWWI. Walwa la madabi mhlawumbi ekholelwa ukuba ungquzulwano lwe-epic ekugqibeleni luya kukhokelela kwilizwe elinye lama-Arabhu elimanyeneyo.
Kunokuphikiswana nokuba ngenxa yamaqhinga akhe akhohlakeleyo, wayengomnye wabavukeli bokuqala bale mihla ukusebenzisa amaqhinga afana nobunqolobi njengesixhobo semfazwe. Wahlanganisa izizwe zama-Arabhu ezingafaniyo, waza kunye nazo waqhumisa uloliwe emva kololiwe owawulungiselela umkhosi waseTurkey. Walwenza utshaba lwakhe lwaphelelwa luloyiko.
“Iwaka lama-Arabhu lithetha iwaka leemela, eziziswa naphi na emini okanye ebusuku,” utsho njalo uPeter O’Toole obonisa uTE Lawrence kwifilimu yakudala eyawina iOscar ngowe-1962, uLawrence waseArabia, “Kuthetha iwaka leenkamela. Oko kuthetha ukuba iwaka leepakethe zeziqhushumbisi eziphezulu kunye newaka lemipu yeecrack.”
“Singakwazi ukuwela iArabhiya ngoxa uJohnny Turk esajika, aze aqhekeze isiporo sakhe,” ucacisela inkumanda yaseBritani uEdmund Allenby, odlalwa nguJack Hawkins. “Kwaye ngeli xesha ezilungisayo, ndiza kuzityumza kwenye indawo. Kwiiveki ezilishumi elinesithathu, ndinokuba neArabia kwisiphithiphithi. "
Kwaye ngokunxamnye nayo yonke into engathandekiyo yena kunye nezizwe zama-Arabhu babaleka batyhutyha iintlango ezishushu ukuya kubethwa ngezibetho kumkhosi waseTurkey onamandla ngakumbi.
Kodwa uLawrence waseArabia kunye nezizwe zamaBedouin zazingengawo amaqhawe okuqala amakhulu kunobomi awashiya uphawu lwawo kwindawo eyinkqantosi, engaxoleliyo, nemangalisayo namhlanje eyiHashemite Kingdom yaseJordan. U-TE Lawrence ngokwakhe wayeqhelene neRolodex yembali, ebonisa iimpucuko ezininzi ezinkulu eziye zadlula ngale ndlela.
Ngowama-333 BC, uAleksandire Omkhulu watyhutyha le ntlango ngaphambi kokuba amisele obona bukhosi bukhulu bakha babonwa lihlabathi. Kodwa njengoko ubukhosi babusekwa ecaleni kwezi ndlela zakhiwe entlabathini, nabo bawa; nokuba yimikhosi yamaSilamsi, iMamluks okanye iOttoman Turks. Ngamnye ushiye uphawu lwazo kwiindawo ze-archaeological sites, iinqaba zamatye anzima, iinqaba ezinqabileyo okanye izikhumbuzo ezingaqondakaliyo eziqingqwe kumatye athambileyo asentlango.
Uhambo lwam lokuwela iJordan luqala ngochulumanco oluncinci kunye nentuthuzelo engakumbi kwiMövenpick Resort kunye ne-Spa ejonge kumanzi azolileyo oLwandle oluFileyo. Le yeyona ndawo iphantsi emhlabeni, kwiimitha ezingama-408 ngaphantsi komphakamo wolwandle. Imitha yelanga ibonakala njengesipili kula manzi agalelwe ityuwa kangangokuba ndiyakwazi ukudada phezu kwamanzi ngoxa ndifunda iphephandaba ngokukhululeka.
Le hotele inobunewunewu kwiNtlambo yaseJordan yenziwe ngothotho lwezakhiwo zelitye lentlabathi ezibekwe kwindawo efana nelali engashiyi nto. Imithi yesundu, izityalo ezishinyeneyo ezishinyeneyo, ihibiscus ebomvu-gazi edubula macala onke, inamachibi kunye neengxangxasi ezigqwethwe yiZara Spa ephumelele ibhaso – ecetyisiweyo ngumntu ongomnye ngaphandle kweCondé Nast Traveller.
Kodwa entlango izinto azihlali njengoko zibonakala. Rhoqo kusasa ngenj’ ixukuxa iitanki ezimbini zamanzi zizisa amanzi acocekileyo ukondla uhlaza olulahlekileyo. Njenge-oasis yobuxoki isikhumbuzo semihla ngemihla ukuba nangona imithi yesundu kunye nezityalo ezichumileyo, oku kumiselwa yinto ekhohlisayo. Ininzi kakhulu indawo eyomileyo nebharhileyo awathi u-'Lawrence' wayinyamezela ngobuchule.
Lo mhlaba uyintlango unemvelaphi yamandulo. Kwisiphelo esisemantla soLwandle Olufileyo ndityelela iindawo ezazikho ngamaxesha okubhalwa kweBhayibhile. Amanzi aqukuqelayo oMlambo iYordan neNdawo yokuBhaptiza aqhelekile ngenkangeleko ngenkohliso; kodwa le yaziwa njengendawo apho umprofeti uIlias wenyukela emazulwini.
Kufuphi na yiNtaba yeNebho nomnqamlezo wayo ojikajikayo ojonge uLwandle Olufileyo, iNtlambo yoMlambo iYordan, iYeriko neYerusalem. Kulapho umprofeti uMoses kuthiwa walibona okokuqala iLizwe Ledinga.
Kodwa ukuya emazantsi kobu bukumkani bomileyo kunye nesanti kukho indawo enye ebeka iJordan kwimephu yenkcubeko enomdla. Lo nguPetra. Yavotelwa ngo-2007 njengomnye 'weMimangaliso eSixhenxe eMitsha yeHlabathi', iPetra iseWadi Araba. Le ndawo yimyuziyam ephilayo yeminyaka engamawaka alishumi yembali yoluntu.
Amatye ezikhumbuzo afihlakeleyo asePetra afikeleleka kwindlela emxinwa maxa wambi enqumla kwiSiq emangalisayo, eqingqwe ngokwendalo kwilitye lentlabathi elinombala orozi. Emini amahashe akhawulezayo azoba iinqwelo ezincinci ahamba enyuka esehla ngendlela ethwele abakhenkethi abaxhonywe eminqwazini yabo njengoko besondela ngokuyingozi ekubetheni abahambi ngeenyawo kuhambo lwabo olusiya kuthotho lwezikhumbuzo ezikhutshwa kumhlaba omkhulu.
Ukuhamba okanye i-trot iphela kwi-Treasury, owona mfanekiso we-Jordan namhlanje kwaye ukholelwa ukuba ingcwaba likaNabatean King Aretas III. Ngeengokuhlwa ezithile usenokubona i-'Petra by Night', apho olu hambo lufanayo lwenziwa ngokuzolileyo ebusuku kwindlela ye-candlelit ye-romantic ephela kwi-Ofisi kaNondyebo, ekwakhanyiswa yimibala yegolide yentaphane yamakhandlela avuthayo kunye nezibane.
Ngelixa i-Ofisi kaNondyebo ikhangeleka ifana nolwakhiwo lwamaGrike okanye amaRoma amandulo, i-facade enekholamu eqingqwe ngamatye athambileyo yaqala ngo-100 BC ukuya ku-200 AD. Ngokudibana kwethu ngamathamsanqa, ndiye ndafunda ukuba akuzange kube kude kube yimbali yamva nje apho imiqolomba emininzi emdaka yayimi ziintsapho zamaBedouin.
“Singabanye abantu baseNabatean, abo bantu beze ePetra. Sivela eYemen, sivela eSaudi Arabia ngeekharavani entlango, ”undixelela uGhassab Al-Bidul, umBedouin owakhuliswa emiqolombeni. Ngowe-1985 amagosa eUNESCO amfudusela umBedouin kwilali encinane eselumelwaneni apho wakhulela khona.
Ngelixa sele engumkhokeli weelwimi ezininzi kwaye wahlengahlengisa ubomi bakhe kuqoqosho lwezokhenketho, usazigcinile ezinye zezithethe ezisisiseko zobuntwana bakhe. Xa wabuzwayo ukuba angabhala kusini na ngokukhulela kwakhe kwimiqolomba yasePetra, impendulo yakhe yayilula.
“Ndinayo engqondweni ngoko ke andifuni kuyibhala. Ukuba unayo engqondweni kungcono ngoba ke awuzukuguga. Kodwa xa uyibhala phantsi kufuneka uyifunde kwakhona. Ndikhumbula yonke into ebomini bam. Kutheni ndiyibhala encwadini ndibe ndinayo yonke?
U-TE Lawrence wayeyazi kakuhle le ngqondo, kodwa wayesazi ukuba uluntu lwasentshona ludinga igama elibhaliweyo ukuze lizibophelele umzuzu omkhulu kwinkumbulo nakwizizukulwana. Oku wakwenza kwiinkumbulo zakhe kwincwadi ethi “Seven Pillars of Wisdom,” awayibhala ngokusuka kwiinkumbulo zakhe zemvukelo yama-Arabhu, nendima yakhe kuzo.
Kodwa kwakusentliziyweni yeJordan kwiWadi Rum apho uLawrence waseArabia wafumana intuthuzelo kunye neembandezelo. Phambi kokuba nditsibele kwi-jeep ndisingise kwimiwonyo yasentlango, ndizithengela isikhafu esisikwere esibomvu nesimhlophe, isambatho esimibalabala esikukhusela kwimimoya ebhudlayo, esantini nakubusuku obubandayo basentlango.
Ecaleni entlango iqela lejeep eziqhutywa ngamaBedouin zisikhwelisa - ezintandathu ukuya kwisithuthi - phambi kokuba sibaleke sinqumle kwiindunduma ukuya kwinkampu. Sityhutyha iingqumba zentlabathi sishiya ngasemva intlabathi entle. Ekuphela kweendlela ezilapha ziingoma ezifileyo zohambo lwangaphambili ezikhokela abaqhubi kuhambo olunzima lweyure ezimbini.
Simisa iintente kwintlango enkulu enamatye amile ngendlela engaqhelekanga neencochoyi ezithe tyaba kumhlaba ongqongwe kwanto ngaphandle kolwandle lwesanti. Apha unokuva i-echo yelizwi lakho njengoko litsiba ukusuka kwelinye ukuya kwelinye, kunye needrones zeenkwenkwezi zidanisa kwisibhakabhaka esibandayo sangokuhlwa. Ndiqinisekile ukuba yayiyimvakalelo engaqondakaliyo yobulolo, imincili kunye nenkululeko yomntu eyakhokelela uTE Lawrence ukuba azive esekhaya apha.
Lo mhlaba unemiwonyo emide enamatye aphakamayo ngaphezulu kolundi olubomvu ngezitena. Kuphela ngamatyholo omnqakathi owomileyo kodwa aphila kakhulu awaphula amazanyana esantini. Uhlaza olutshaba lushiya umsila ngasemva kwawo, ukunxaxha kwamaza okwenziwa ngumoya wasentlango okanye izaqhwithi zesanti.
“UmBedouin wasentlango, owazalelwa waza wakhulela kuyo, wamkela ngomphefumlo wakhe wonke obu ze ukuze abe ngqwabalala kumavolontiya, ngenxa yesizathu, waziva engakwazi ukuthetha, ukuba apho wazifumana ekhululekile ngokungenakuphikiswa. ULawrence ubhala oku kwincwadi ethi The Seven Pillars of Wisdom, “Waphulukana namaqhina ezinto eziphathekayo, ubutofotofo, zonke izinto ezingafanelekanga nezinye iingxaki ukuze afumane inkululeko yobuqu eyayithwaxa indlala nokufa.
I-Navigator yenkcubeko esekwe eMontreal u-Andrew Princz ngumhleli we-portal yokuhamba ontheglobe.com. Uthatha inxaxheba kubuntatheli, ekwaziseni ilizwe, ukukhuthaza ukhenketho kunye neeprojekthi ezijolise kwinkcubeko kwihlabathi liphela. Uhambele kumazwe angaphezu kwamashumi amahlanu kwihlabathi jikelele; ukusuka eNigeria ukuya e-Ecuador; Kazakhstan ukuya eIndiya. Uhlala ehamba, efuna amathuba okunxibelelana neenkcubeko ezintsha kunye noluntu.
