Ku Syria Kumatikumbutsa Zinthu Zochititsa Chidwi Zamakedzana

CHIGAWOCHI chinali pa mphambano ina yakale ya msewu wochokera ku Mediterranean kupita ku China ndi wochokera ku Aigupto kupita ku Anatolia. Magulu ankhondo ochokera ku Akkad, Babulo, Aigupto, Perisiya, Helene, ndi Roma anadutsapo m’chigawochi. Patatha zaka zambiri, anthu a ku Turkey ndiponso ankhondo a Chikristu ndi Chisilamu anadutsa momwemu. Makono ano, asilikali a ku France ndi Britain anamenyana polimbirana chigawochi.

Panopo mbali ina ya chigawochi imatchedwabe ndi dzina lakalekalelo lakuti Suriya (Syria). Inde, chigawochi chasintha kwambiri koma chimatikumbutsabe zamakedzana. Anthu ophunzira Baibulo angachite chidwi kwambiri ndi derali, chifukwa munachitika zinthu zina zimene zinalembedwa m’Baibulo.

Damasiko ndi Mzinda Wakale

Mwachitsanzo, tatiyeni tionepo za mzinda womwe ndi likulu la dziko la Suriya wotchedwa Damasiko. Akuti ndi umodzi wa mizinda yakale kwambiri padziko lonse imene chiyambireni siinakhaleko yopanda anthu. Mzindawu uli m’mphepete mwa mapiri otchedwa Anti-Lebanon ndipo mtsinje wa Barada umadutsa mu mzindamu. Kwa zaka zambiri anthu odutsa m’chipululu chachikulu cha Suriya ankadzapeza madzi mu mzindawu. N’kutheka kuti kholo lakalelo Abrahamu anadutsa mu mzinda umenewu popita ku Kanani. Ndipo anatenga Eliezere “wa ku Damasiko,” kuti azisamalira mbumba yake.—Genesis 15:2.

Patatha pafupifupi zaka 1000, mafumu a ku Suriya ochokera ku Zoba anamenyana ndi Sauli, mfumu yoyamba ya Israyeli. (1 Samueli 14:47) Nayenso Davide, yemwe anali mfumu yachiŵiri ya Israyeli, anamenyana ndi mafumu a ku Aramu (dzina la Chihebri la Suriya), n’kuwagonjetsa kenaka “anaika maboma m’Aramu wa Damasiko.” (2 Samueli 8:3-8) Motero dziko la Israyeli linakhala paudani kwa nthaŵi yaitali ndi Suriya.—1 Mafumu 11:23-25.

Podzafika m’zaka 100 zoyambirira za Nyengo Yathu Ino, zikuoneka kuti chidani pakati pa Asuri ndi Ayuda chinali chitachepa. Moti panthaŵi imeneyi ku Damasiko kunali masunagoge angapo a Ayuda. Mwina mukukumbukira kuti Sauli (amene anadzatchedwa Paulo) wa ku Tariso, anatembenuzidwa n’kukhala Mkristu akuyenda mumsewu wochokera ku Yerusalemu kupita ku Damasiko.—Machitidwe 9:1-8.

Panopo ku Damasiko kulibe chilichonse chosonyeza kuti Abrahamu anadzerako kapena kuti Davide analandapo mzindawu. Koma kuli mabwinja a mzinda wakale wa Aroma komanso msewu  waukulu wodutsa mu mzinda wakale umene umayenda motsatana ndi msewu wakale wa Aroma wotchedwa Via Recta (Msewu Woongoka.) Panyumba ina ya m’mphepete mwamsewu umenewu m’pamene Hananiya anakumana ndi Sauli. Apa n’kuti Sauliyo atatembenuka mozizwitsa kukhala Mkristu chapafupi ndi ku Damasiko. (Machitidwe 9:10-19) Ngakhale kuti msewuwu wasintha kwambiri pouyerekezera ndi mmene unalili m’nthaŵi za Aroma, mtumwi Paulo anayambira mumsewu womwewu ntchito yake yodziŵika bwino. Msewu Woongoka umathera pa chipata cha Aroma chotchedwa Bab-Sharqi. Chikhoma chozungulira mzindawo chili ndi zinyumba pamwamba pake ndipo zimenezi zimatithandiza kumvetsa zimene zinachitika kuti Paulo athe kuzemba pomutsitsa ali mumtanga kudzera pa zenera la chikhomacho.—Machitidwe 9:23-25; 2 Akorinto 11:32, 33.

Kasupe Wamakedzana wa Palimelia

Tikayenda kwa maola atatu pagalimoto kuchokera ku Damasiko n’kumaloŵera kumpoto chakum’maŵa, timafika pamalo ochititsa chidwi kwambiri a zinthu zakale otchedwa Palimelia, amene m’Baibulo amadziŵika ndi dzina lakuti Tadimori. (2 Mbiri 8:4) Kasupeyu ali pakati pa nyanja ya Mediterranean ndi mtsinje wa Firate ndipo madzi ake amatumphukira panopo kuchokera m’mapiri amene ali chakumpoto. Njira ya amalonda amakedzana yochokera ku Mesopotamiya kupita ku madera a kumadzulo inkaloŵera ku chigawo chotchedwa Fertile Crescent motero inali chakumpoto, kutali ndithu ndi Palimelia. Koma mkati mwa zaka zosakwana 100 Nyengo Yathu Ino isanakwane, madera a kumpoto sankagwirizana pa zandale, choncho anthu ambiri ankakonda kudzera  njira yoloŵera chakum’mwera yomwe inali yaifupiko. N’chifukwa chake mzinda wa Palimelia unatukuka kwambiri.

Aroma ankagwiritsira ntchito mzindawu poteteza dera la kum’maŵa kwa ufumu wawo ndipo anauphatikiza ndi chigawo chawo cha Suriya, koma pambuyo pake anadzalola kuti uime paokha. M’mphepete mwa msewu wokhala ndi zotchingira za denga umenewu munali akachisi ndi malinga akuluakulu ndiponso zitsime zosambiramo, kuphatikizaponso bwalo la zisudzo. Kutsidya lake lililonse kunali tinjira toŵakidwa bwino toyendamo anthu, koma msewu waukuluwo unali wosaŵaka kuti ngamira ziziyendamo bwinobwino. Magulu a anthu a malonda oyenda pangamira ankapumira ku Palimelia. Iwoŵa ankadzera njira yochokera kum’maŵa ku China ndi India kupita kumadzulo ku mayiko olamulidwa ndi Ahelene komanso Aroma. Akafika kumeneku ankawalipiritsa msonkho pa zinthu monga silika, zokometsera zakudya, ndiponso katundu wawo wina.

Mzinda wa Palimelia utafika pachimake m’zaka za m’ma 200 zoyambirira za m’Nyengo Yathu Ino, unali ndi anthu 200,000. Apa m’pamene Mfumukazi yake yodzikuza dzina lake Zenobia inachita nkhondo ndi Aroma n’kugonjetsedwa m’chaka cha 272. Moti apa mosadziŵa Zenobia anakwaniritsa mbali ya ulosi wina umene mneneri Danieli analemba zaka 800 izi zisanachitike. * (Danieli, chaputala 11) Zenobia atagonjetsedwa, kwa kanthaŵi ndithu mzinda wa Palimelia unkatetezabe Ufumu wa Roma, koma sunachite kufika pakale paja.

Ulendo wa ku Firate

Tikayenda pa galimoto kwa maola atatu kuchoka ku Palimelia n’kuloŵera kumpoto chakum’maŵa kudzera m’chipululu timapeza tauni yotchedwa Dayr az Zawr, kumene mungathe kuona mtsinje waukulu wa Firate. Mtsinje wamakedzana umenewu umachokera m’mapiri a kum’maŵa kwa Anatolia (chigawo cha ku Asia cha dziko la Turkey), n’kuloŵa mu Suriya podzera chakumpoto pang’ono kwa Karikemisi, ndipo umaloŵera kum’mwera chakum’maŵa kutuluka mu Suriya mpaka kukafika ku Iraq. Pafupi ndi malire a dziko la Iraq pali mabwinja a mizinda iŵiri yakale ya ku Suriya.

Tikayenda mtunda wa makilomita 100 kuloŵera kum’mwera chakum’maŵa, pamalo amene mtsinje wa Firate unakhota, pali mabwinja a mzinda wakale wozingidwa ndi linga wotchedwa Dura-Europos. Ndiye tikayendabe mtunda wina wa makilomita 25 timafika pamene panali Mari. Poyamba Mari unali mzinda wotukuka kwambiri wochitirako zamalonda, koma unawonongedwa ndi Mfumu ya ku Babulo yotchedwa Hammurabi m’zaka za m’ma 1700 Nyengo Yathu Ino isanakwane. M’zinthu zakale zolongosola mbiri ya nyumba ya mfumu ya kumeneko anapezamo mapale osachepera 15,000 olembedwapo zinthu amene athandiza kwambiri kumvetsa zinthu zimene zinkachitika kale.

Asilikali a Hammurabi ataphwasula mzindawo, anagwetsa makoma onse a m’mwamba motero zipinda zapansi zinakwiririka ndi njerwa komanso dothi. Izi zinachititsa kuti zithunzi za m’makoma, zosemasema, zoumbaumba, ndiponso zinthu zina zambiri zamakedzana zisungike bwinobwino mpaka 1933 pamene gulu la akatswiri ofufuza zinthu za m’mabwinja a ku France anatulukira malowo. Zinthu zimenezi anthu amakaziona m’nyumba zosungiramo zinthu zakale zochititsa chidwi ya ku Damasiko ndi Aleppo komanso ya ku Louvre, ku Paris.

Mizinda Yakale ya Kumpoto Chakumadzulo kwa Suriya

Tikatsatira mtsinje wa Firate kuloŵera kumpoto chakumadzulo timakafika ku Aleppo (kapena kuti Haleb). Mzindawu uli ngati Damasiko, chifukwa akuti ndi umodzi wa mizinda yakale kwambiri padziko lonse imene siinakhaleko yopanda anthu. Misika yokhala ndi denga ya ku Aleppo ili m’gulu la misika yokongola kwambiri ku Middle East.

Chakum’mwera kwa Aleppo kuli dera lotchedwa Tell Mardikh, limene kale linali mzinda wodziimira pawokha wa Ebla. Mzinda wa Ebla unali wofunika kwambiri pa zamalonda kumpoto konse kwa Suriya chakumapeto kwa zaka za m’ma 2000 Nyengo Yathu Ino isanakwane. Atakumba kumeneko anapeza mabwinja a kachisi wa mulungu wamkazi wa Ababulo dzina lake Ishtar. Anapezanso nyumba ya mfumu imene m’zipinda zake zomwe ankasungiramo mbiri yawo munali mapale 17,000. Zinthu za pa bwinja la Ebla anthu amakaziona ku nyumba yosungiramo zinthu zakale zochititsa chidwi ya m’katauni kotchedwa Idlib, komwe kali pamtunda wa makilomita 25 kuchoka pabwinjapo.

Kum’mwera kwa msewu wopita ku Damasiko kuli mzinda wa Hama, womwe m’Baibulo umatchedwa kuti Hamati. (Numeri 13:21) Mtsinje wa Orontes umadutsa mu mzindawu motero umaukongoletsa kuposa mizinda ina yambiri ku Suriya. Kenaka timafika pa Ras Shamra, malo amene panali mzinda wakale wotchedwa Ugarit. M’zaka za m’ma 2000 ndi 1000 Nyengo Yathu Ino isanakwane, uwu unali mzinda wotukuka kwambiri wochitirako zamalonda ndipo anthu ake ankakonda kulambira Baala ndi Dagoni. Kuyambira m’chaka cha 1929, akatswiri a ku France ofufuza za m’mabwinja akhala akufukula mapale ambirimbiri ndiponso zitsulo zozokotedwa mawu zimene zavumbula zinthu zambiri zosonyeza kulambira Baala, komwe kunali konyansa. Zimenezi zimatithandiza kumvetsa chifukwa chimene Mulungu analamulira kuti Akanani aphedwe chifukwa cholambira Baala.—Deuteronomo 7:1-4.

Inde, ngakhale panopo ku Suriya kumatikumbutsabe za zinthu zochititsa chidwi zamakedzana.

[Mawu a M’munsi]

[Mapu pamasamba 28, 29]

(Onani m’magazini yeniyeni kuti mumvetse izi)

NYANJA YA MEDITERRANEAN

‐‐ Malire omwe akulimbanirana

AIGUPTO

 ISRAYELI

YORDANO

LEBANO

SURIYA

DAMASIKO

Barada

Orontes

Hama (Hamati)

Ugarit (Ras Shamra)

Ebla (Tell Mardikh)

Aleppo (Haleb)

Karikemisi (Jerablus)

Firate

Zenobia

Dayr az Zawr

Dura-Europos

Mari

Palimelia (Tadimori)

IRAQ

TURKEY

[Zithunzi patsamba 28]

Damasiko (pamunsipa) ndi Msewu Woongoka (pamwambapa)

[Chithunzi patsamba 29]

Nyumba zooneka ngati ming’oma ya njuchi

[Chithunzi patsamba 29]

Ugarit

[Chithunzi patsamba 29]

Hama

[Chithunzi patsamba 30]

Mari

[Chithunzi patsamba 30]

Aleppo

[Mawu a Chithunzi]

© Jean-Leo Dugast/Panos Pictures

[Chithunzi patsamba 30]

Nyumba ya mfumu ku Ebla

[Chithunzi patsamba 30]

Abusa a nkhosa ku Zenobia

[Chithunzi patsamba 30]

Palimelia

[Chithunzi patsamba 30]

Mtsinje wa Firate ku Dura-Europos

[Mawu a Chithunzi patsamba 29]

Children: © Jean-Leo Dugast/Panos Pictures; beehive homes: © Nik Wheeler