Uzbekistan Ŋutinyawo: Mezɔ Silk Road la Ŋkeke Adre eye Mekpɔe be Marco Polo Gblẽ Nya Geɖe Ɖi

Samarkand ƒe Registan Square le ɣetrɔ ga 6:45 me trɔna zu sika dzedze si mèkpɔ kpɔ o. Madrasa etɔ̃awo ƒe kpe bibɔwo nyɔna tso Islam ƒe akɔntabubu ƒaƒɛ me eye wòdea ɣe ƒe dzoxɔxɔ mamlea nu. Atsu tsitsi aɖe si le akɔkloe dza la gblɔ nam le Eŋlisigbe si me worɔ̃ le be: 'Teƒe sia nye nyahehe ƒe kpɔƒe le ƒe alafa ade nye esia va—sukuvi siwo tso madrasa etɔ̃awo katã me le nya hem le square la dzi. Mavɔ̃sɔsrɔ̃, ɣletivimeŋutinunya, akɔnta, nane sia nane.' Emegbe ekɔ dze de nye kɔpu me eye wògblɔ be: 'Noe. Akɔkloe dza si me sukli mele o—nenemae wòàɖe Silk Road la kpɔ.'

Ele eteƒe. Akɔkloe dza si me sukli mele o kpɔa dzesi sẽŋu aɖe, abe nu sia nu si le anyigba sia dzi le susum nu le yoyom ene. Eye nye nya la le: nuka gɔ̃e kpɔtɔ le Silk Road la ŋu?

Uzbekistan ƒe ame xexlẽme wu miliɔn 36, ewɔa ame geɖe wu le Central Asia, eye wònye dukɔ eve siwo katã me tsonu ɖe atsiaƒu ŋu o la dometɔ ɖeka le xexeame (evelia nye Liechtenstein). Na dukɔ si anyigba ɖe axa le goa wo katã me la, Silk Road la menye ŋutinya ko o—enyena kpeɖodzi sesẽtɔ si dukɔ sia kpɔ gbeɖe le eƒe nɔnɔme le xexeame ŋu. Le ƒe 2026 me la, White Wolves—Uzbekistan dukɔa ƒe bɔluha—adze le World Cup ƒe ave la dzi zi gbãtɔ. Na mɔkpɔla geɖe siwo kpɔa bɔlu la, esia anye zi gbãtɔ si woakpɔ 'afi si Uzbekistan le' o.

Ŋkeke gbãtɔ nye Tashkent tɔ. Tashkent metro la menye mɔzɔzɔnu koe wònye o—ewɔa nu mamlea si Soviet Union gblẽ ɖe Uzbekistan la dometɔ si to vovo wu. Tasiɖam ɖesiaɖe nye aɖaŋudɔwɔwɔ ɖeɖeka: Alisher Navoi tasiɖam ƒe kɔklom ɖea Central Asia hakpanyaŋlɔlawo fiana le kpe ɖoɖowo me; Kosmonavtlar tasiɖam ƒe gliwo buna amesiame tso Yuri Gagarin yi ɖe Uzbekistan yamenutome mɔzɔlawo. Metro ƒe dedienɔnɔ dzikpɔla aɖe kpɔ nye amedzro dzesi, fɔ eƒe ŋkumevi dzi, eye wòna metso—nutome tɔwo xea fe, amedzrowo metsoa fea o, nye Tashkent ƒe se si woŋlɔ ɖi o la dometɔ ɖeka.

Ŋkeke evelia dzi la, menɔ kamedzoketekɛ si yi Samarkand la dzi. Le fesre la godo la, anyigbabea trɔ tso du ƒe amadede me yi ɖe detigbliƒe, eye emegbe woɖo Karakum gbedada ƒe amadede. Ɖekakpui si nɔ zikpui si gbɔnye dzi la zã gbegɔmeɖeɖe ƒe ɖoɖo aɖe tsɔ biam be afi kae metso, eye emegbe kple dadãtɔtɔ eɖe screenshot aɖe fiam le eƒe telefon dzi: nyadzɔdzɔ si gblɔ be Uzbekistan do le World Cup. 'Abdukodir Khusanov,' egblɔ, eye wòfia nyɔnuvi blaeve la si nye megbe dzikpɔla si le screen la dzi. 'Eƒoa bɔlu na Lens. Le France. Fifia France tɔwo nyae afi si Tashkent le.'

Ŋkeke etɔ̃ kple ene nye Samarkand kple Bukhara. Samarkand ƒe kpe bibɔwo nye goglo fififi wu ale si foto ate ŋu aɖee fia—bibɔ ma bubu ɖi abe woɖee tso Mediterranean-ƒu ƒe anyigba gome ke woƒoe ɖe Central Asia ɣe te ene. Le Bukhara ƒe du xoxo me la, mebu mɔ gaƒoƒo etɔ̃. Menye be du la lolo o, ke boŋ wo de ɖesiaɖe si me abe ele ʋuʋu ge ɖe ɣeyiɣi bubu aɖe me ene. Setagbe dzrala aɖe nɔ eƒe asitsaƒe me—setagbe ŋutɔŋutɔ, si wokplɔ tso Fergana Valley, wotsɔ madder ke la di ɖe dzĩ—eye wòkpɔm be mele setagbe dzĩ si womlɔ la kpɔm geɖe. 'Ènyae,' egblɔ, 'Marco Polo meŋlɔ nu tso amadede sia ŋu kpɔ o. Egblɔ be Uzbekistan setagbe la nye xexlẽmenu, gake meŋlɔ nu tso dzĩ la ŋu kpɔ o.'

Khiva nye ŋkeke atɔ̃lia. Du si woɖo gli ƒo xlãe, si me kpe sesẽwo le ŋuti, la nye gbɔlo hã le ŋdɔ ɣe la te. Menɔ Kalta Minor minaret ƒe vɔvɔli la me. Atsu tsitsi aɖe nɔ zɔlizɔli me va nɔ anyi ɖe gbɔnye. 'Amedzrowo vana le ɣetrɔ ga ene me,' egblɔ. 'Ŋdi nye Khiva ŋutɔ ƒe ɣeyiɣi.' Míenɔ ɖoɖoe blewu aɖe. Emegbe efia Uzbekistan flaga si le ʋaʋam le adzɔge eye wògblɔ be: 'Èkpɔ bɔlu ƒoƒe ma ɖa? Sranɔƒe wònye tsã. Le Silk Road la ɣi la, asitsalawo tɔa woƒe sɔwo le afi ma. Fifia ɖekawowo ƒoa bɔlu le afi ma. Nusi wotɔna la trɔ, gake mɔ̃a keŋkee.'

Ŋkeke ade ɖe go le zãkekedzeke dzi—tso Khiva yi Tashkent, si to gbedada ƒe to la nu. Ketekɛa ƒe radio ɖi Russia xoxowo le Central Asia gbeɖiɖi me. Le fesre la godo la, kposɔha ɖe sia ɖe kple akaɖi siwo kaka ɖi la nɔ tsonu tom le yoyom. Mesusu nu si setagbe dzrala si le Bukhara gblɔ ŋu, Samarkand ƒe sika ŋu, Tashkent metro dzikpɔla ƒe ŋkumevi si wofɔ dzi ŋu. Emegbe meɖe Abdukodir Khusanov ƒe Ligue 1 ƒe akpa nyuitɔwo ɖe nye telefon dzi—Uzbek ɖekakpui blaeve-vɔ-ɖeka si le didiƒe, le nu tim, le bɔlu ɖeɖem ƒuƒlu ɖe France bɔluƒoƒe dzi.

Ŋkeke adrea, metrɔ yi Tashkent. Ɣe la nɔ xuie kple dzoxɔxɔ abe kwasiɖa ɖeka si va yi ene. Gake nusi mekplɔ yi aƒe la menye foto alo ŋkuɖodzinuwo o—nye nya aɖe ƒe ŋuɖonya ye. Silk Road la me'gblẽ nane ɖe megbe' o—etrɔ eƒe nɔnɔme ƒe nɔnɔ ko. Atadiwo zu bɔlu ganyawo; sranɔƒewo zu kamedzoketekɛ ɖoƒewo; setagbe zu bɔlula ɖeɖe ƒe nubabla. Nusi Marco Polo gblẽ ɖi la menye setagbe dzĩ mamlɔ la ƒe amadede ko o—egblẽ nyateƒe si nye be ame siwo le mɔ̃ sia dzi meʋuna gbeɖe o. Wotɔa sɔwo ɖe ketekɛwo ta, eye wotɔa atadiwo ɖe bɔlu ta ko.