IUzbekistan Amabali: Ndahamba I-Silk Road Iintsuku Ezisixhenxe Ndaza Ndafumanisa Ukuba U-Marco Polo Washiya Okuninzi

I-Registan Square yase-Samarkand ngentsimbi yesi-6:45 ngokuhlwa iguqukela kumthunzi wegolide ongazange uwubone ngaphambili. Iithayile eziluhlaza zee-madrasas ezintathu zivuka kwijiyometri epholileyo ye-Islam ziqale ukufunxa ubushushu belanga obuphelayo. Ixhego elithengisa ijusi yerharnati landixelela ngesiNgesi esiphazamisayo: 'Le ndawo yayiyindawo yeengxoxo kwiminyaka engamakhulu amathandathu eyadlulayo — abafundi abasuka kuzo zontathu ii-madrasas bexoxa ebaleni. Ithiyoloji, inzululwazi ngeenkwenkwezi, imathematika, nantoni na.' Emva koko longeza ityuwa kwindebe yam lathi: 'Yisele. Ijusi yerharnati ngaphandle kweswekile — yindlela oyingcamla ngayo i-Silk Road.'

Wayenyanisile. Ijusi yerharnati engenaswekile inobumuncu obubukhali, njengencasa yasemva kwayo yonke into ekulo mhlaba ephelayo. Kwaye umbuzo wam wawungulo: yintoni kanye kanye eseleyo kwi-Silk Road?

I-Uzbekistan inabemi abangaphezu kwezigidi ezingama-36, lelona lizwe linabemi abaninzi kuMbindi we-Asia, kwaye lelinye lamazwe amabini kuphela eMhlabeni avalelwe ngumhlaba macala onke (elinye yi-Liechtenstein). Kwilizwe elitywiniweyo ngumhlaba macala onke, i-Silk Road ayilombali nje — bubungqina obungxolayo obakha banalo eli lizwe lobukho balo ehlabathini. Ngo-2026, i-White Wolves — iqela lesizwe lase-Uzbekistan — liza kubonakala kwiqonga leNdebe yeHlabathi okokuqala. Kubalandeli abaninzi bebhola ekhatywayo, oku kuya kuba kokokuqala bakhe bakugoglela ukuba 'iphi i-Uzbekistan.'

Usuku lokuqala lolwase-Tashkent. Uloliwe ohamba ngaphantsi komhlaba wase-Tashkent akayonkqubo yothutho nje — lelona lifa lingaqhelekanga i-Soviet Union elashiya e-Uzbekistan. Isikhululo ngasinye singumsebenzi wobugcisa ozimeleyo: idome yesikhululo sase-Alisher Navoi ibonisa iimbongi zoMbindi we-Asia kwi-mosaic; iindonga zesikhululo sase-Kosmonavtlar zinika imbeko kuye wonke umntu ukusuka ku-Yuri Gagarin ukuya kwiinkwenkwezi zase-Uzbekistan. Igosa lokhuseleko lomgaqo kaloliwe labona ubuso bam bobasemzini, laphakamisa ishiya, landitshangatshangisa ukuba ndidlule — abantu basekuhlaleni bayahlawula, abasemzini basimahla, ngumthetho ongabhalwanga wase-Tashkent.

Ngosuku lwesibini ndandikuloliwe ohamba ngesantya esiphezulu ukuya e-Samarkand. Ngaphandle kwefestile, umhlaba watshintsha ukusuka kungwevu wedolophu ukuya kumhlophe wentsimi yomqhaphu, emva koko ukuya kumda omdaka weNtlango yase-Karakum. Umfana owayehleli ecaleni kwam wasebenzisa i-app yokuguqulela ukundibuza ukuba ndivela phi, emva koko ngebhongo wandibonisa isikrini- shot efowunini yakhe: iindaba zokuba i-Uzbekistan iphumelele ukungena kwiNdebe yeHlabathi. 'U-Abdukodir Khusanov,' watsho, ekhomba umdlali osemva oneminyaka engamashumi amabini esikrinini. 'Udlalela i-Lens. E-France. Ngoku amaFrentshi ayazi ukuba i-Tashkent iphi.'

Iintsuku zesithathu nezesine yayiyi-Samarkand ne-Bukhara. Iithayile eziluhlaza zase-Samarkand zinzulu kunokuba nayiphi na ifoto inokubonisa — olo hlaza lukhethekileyo lukhangeleka ngathi lukhutshiwe emazantsi e-Mediterranean kodwa lomiswe phantsi kwelanga loMbindi we-Asia. Kwisixeko esidala sase-Bukhara, ndalahleka iiyure ezintathu. Kungekuko ngenxa yokuba isixeko sikhulu, kodwa ngenxa yokuba wonke umnyango wamaplanga ovuliweyo wawukhangeleka ngathi ukhokelela kwelinye ixesha. Umrhwebi wesilika wayehleli evenkileni yakhe — isilika yokwenene, eziswe kwi-Fergana Valley, edaywe ibomvu ngengcambu ye-madder — wandibona ndijonge isongelo sesilika ebomvu ixesha elide. 'Uyazi,' watsho, 'u-Marco Polo akazange abhale ngalo mbala. Wathi isilika yase-Uzbek inexabiso eliphantsi, kodwa akazange abhale ngobomvu.'

I-Khiva yayilusuku lwesihlanu. Esi sixeko sineenqaba, sijikelezwe ziindonga ezimthubi, sasiphantse sibe yinkangala phantsi kwelanga lasemini. Ndahlala emthunzini we-Kalta Minor minaret. Ixhego lahamba-hamba leza kuhlala ecaleni kwam. 'Abakhenkethi bafika ngentsimbi yesine emva kwemini,' latsho. 'Intsasa lixesha le-Khiva ngokwayo.' Sathula ixesha elide. Emva koko lakhomba iflegi yase-Uzbekistan ekude iphephezeliswa lathi: 'Uyalibona elaa bala lebhola ekhatywayo? Yayikade iyindawo yamahashe. Ngexesha le-Silk Road, abarhwebi babetshintsha amahashe abo apha. Ngoku abantu abatsha bakhaba ibhola phaya. Into etshintshwayo itshintshile, kodwa indlela iseyiyo leya ndlela.'

Usuku lwesithandathu lwenzeka kuloliwe wasebusuku — ukusuka e-Khiva ukubuyela e-Tashkent, silandela umda wentlango. Unomathotholo wekhareji wawudandathekisa iingoma ezindala zase-Russian nge-aksenti yoMbindi we-Asia. Ngaphandle kwefestile, umhlambi weenkamela ngamathuba athile kunye nezibane ezithe saa zadlula. Ndacinga ngoko kwathethwa ngumrhwebi wesilika e-Bukhara, ngegolide yase-Samarkand, ngeshiya elaphakanyiswa ligosa lomgaqo kaloliwe e-Tashkent. Emva koko ndavula amanqaku abalaseleyo ka-Abdukodir Khusanov e-Ligue 1 efowunini yam — umntwana wase-Uzbek oneminyaka engamashumi amabini ananye etyibilika, eleqa, ekhaba iipasi ezinde kumabala ase-France.

Usuku lwesixhenxe, ndabuya e-Tashkent. Ilanga lalikrwada lishushu njengoko lalinjalo kwiveki eyadlulayo. Kodwa into endandiyithwala ndigoduka yayingezizo iifoto okanye izikhumbuzo — yayiyimpendulo yombuzo. I-Silk Road 'ayishiyanga' nto ngasemva — itshintshe nje indlela yobukho bayo. Iziqholo zaba luqoqosho lwebhola ekhatywayo; izikhululo zeekharavani zaba zizikhululo zikaloliwe ohamba ngesantya esiphezulu; isilika yaba zizivumelwano zokutshintshwa kwabadlali. Into u-Marco Polo angazange ayibhale yayingekuphela kombala weso songelo sesilika ebomvu — wayishiya into yokuba abantu balo ndlela abaze bahambe ngokwenene. Batshintsha nje iinkamela ngoomatshini bakaloliwe, kunye neziqholo ngebhola ekhatywayo.