Yiziphi izinhlangano ozibiza ngegama elithi "IGibhithe"? Ngokuqinisekile wacabanga masinyane ngemipiramidi eGiza, amakamela, amaharahara, ama-mummies kanye nesihlabathi esishisayo. Uyazi ukuthi engxenyeni esenyakatho-mpumalanga yeGibhithe iPort Said, eduze nalapho i-Suez Canal iqala khona? Ukuhlela ukuvakashela iGibhithe, lapho kukhona khona indawo eyaziwa kakhulu, njengoSharm el-Sheikh, noHurghada ongathandwa kakhulu, kumele abone njalo lokhu okukhangayo.
I-Suez Canal, esithombeni sayo kufanele sibe ku-albhamu yazo zonke izivakashi ezihloniphayo ezivakashele i-Egypt, ihamba ngokuqondile njengomcibisholo, ngebhebhoni eluhlaza okwesibhakabhaka, eqala ePort Said futhi iphela neSuez Bay, ephakathi kolwandle lwase-Afrika ne- Sinai Peninsula. Ngamanye amazwi, lesi siteshi umzila oqondile ovela oLwandle Olubomvu waya eLwandle LwaseMedithera futhi usebenza njengomngcele ovunyelwe ngokuvamile phakathi kwe-Afrika ne-Asia. Ubude bayo buyi-168 km (ukucabangela iziteshi zokufinyelela eziteshini zayo eziyinhloko), ububanzi ngezinye izikhathi kufinyelela kumamitha angu-169, futhi ukujula kuvumela imikhumbi ngemidwebo engaphezu kwamamitha angu-16 ukuba idlule ngokukhululekile phakathi kwamabhange ayo ngaphandle kokukhathazeka ngokuthi kungenzeka okungacacile.
Kuyathakazelisa ukuthi umqondo wokumba umzila ongasetshenziswa emanzini kusukela emfuleni iNayile kuze kufike eLwandle Olubomvu wafika engqondweni nakwabaseGibhithe lasendulo eminyakeni engaba ngu-32 000 eyedlule, ngisho nalapho amaharahara kaSeti I noRamses II ebusa. Eminye isiteshi esidala esidala sasiwusizo ekuletheleni amanzi amasha kwisayithi yokwakhiwa - umbuzo womthamo wamanzi ahlanzekile we-Ismailia.
Cishe ngo-500 BC. UDariyusi, inkosi yasePheresiya ngaleso sikhathi, waphinde wabamba amaLwandle Alubomvu namaMedithera ngemva kokunqotshwa kweGibhithe. Kunezizathu zokukholelwa ukuthi i-Suez Canal yaleso sikhathi yavumela izikebhe ezimbili ukuba zihambe eduze komunye nomunye.
Kwabe sekufika ukuphenduka kwamaYurophu. Ekupheleni kwekhulu le-XV. Umqondo wesiteshi esisha wawuthinta abathengisi abaningi, ikakhulukazi abathengisi baseVenetian. Isizathu salokhu yizinzuzo zokuhweba neIndiya. Amafutha aseNdiya aletha inzuzo eningi ngaleso sikhathi, kwakunezindlela ezimbili kuphela zokubahambisa eYurophu. Owokuqala, umzila wamanzi, uthatha uhambo olude lokudlula ingxenye engaseningizimu yezwekazi lase-Afrika, kanti okwesibili, indlela yomhlaba, kwakungokuthutha izimpahla ezihamba ngaselwandle kusukela ogwini Olubomvu kuze kube ogwini lwaseMedithera. Zombili izindlela zazingathandeki kakhulu. Kwaphela amakhulu eminyaka bahlangana ngamandla futhi ekugcineni banquma ukwenza okuthile.
Ayaziwa ukuthi ngaphezulu, ukukhuluma kahle, ikhono lika-diploma noma ukuhweba ngokusemthethweni, kwasiza umFulentshi F. Lesseps ukuba akhombise uhulumeni waseGibhithe ukunikeza "ukukhanya okuluhlaza" kulo msebenzi omusha. Ukuqaliswa kweprojekthi kuthatha iminyaka engaphezu kweyishumi. Ngaphezu kwalokho, abaseGibithe bavusa amafosholo namafosholo ngobuningi - uhulumeni waqasha abantu abayizinkulungwane ezingamashumi ayisithupha ngenyanga ngomsebenzi wokwakha. Amazwe aseYurophu asekela ngemali le misebenzi futhi, yiqiniso, iningi lemali engenayo evela esiteshini yamukelwa nabo.
Ukuhamba, i-Suez Canal yavulwa ngoNovemba 1869. Kulesi sigameko ePort Said kwafika imikhumbi engu-48 nabagibeli abayizinkulungwane ezingu-6. Kwadlula iminyaka eminingana, iGibithe yaqala izinkinga zezomnotho, kanti iBrithani neFrance banquma ukuthatha leli thuba: bathengisa imali engu-15% yeholo laseGibhithe ngokusebenzisa isiteshi. Inzuzo yabaseGibithe emikhumbi edabula iSuez Canal yancishiswa yaba yizero. Ukuthukuthela okunjalo, akunjalo, akukwazi ukuhlala isikhathi eside. Ngo-1956, uhulumeni waseGibhithe waphindela isiteshi ukuba sisho ubunikazi, okwakumcasula kakhulu isiFulentshi neBrithani. Noma kunjalo, isiqu esinjalo esihlwabusayo sinyamalale! Babengafuni ukuvumelana nalesi sinqumo futhi baqala ukuhlukunyezwa kwezempi ngokumelene namaGibhithe, kuhlanganise no-Israyeli ngobuqotho.
Le mpikiswano yamazwe ngamazwe yaqala kusukela ekwindla 1965 kuya ku-March 1967. Ngenxa yokuzimisela izakhamuzi zayo nokusekelwa kwe-USSR, iGibithe yaqhubeka nokuvikela izithakazelo zayo futhi emva kokusebenza imisebenzi ekuthuthukiseni phambili, kusukela ngo-1981, iSuez Canal yaqala ukusebenza kuyo Uqale ukudlula imikhumbi, umdwebo owafinyelela ngamamitha angu-16.