Ngesikhathi se-Victorian, abahloli bamazwe kanye nezihambi bashiye uphawu lwabo emlandweni. Ukwembula amasiko alahlekile, amathempeli afihliwe, kanye amadolobha afihliwe kwakuyinto evamile. Ukusuka e-Indiana Jones kuya ku-Allan Quatermain; zonke zaba khona ngesikhathi sazo.
Uma uthanda ukufunda mayelana nokuhlola okuhle nokutholiwe, cishe uyazi ukuthi eziningi zazo zenziwe abahloli bamazwe baseBrithani. Kodwa bewazi yini ukuthi umhloli wamazwe waseBrithani owaziwa kancane wanikezwa udumo ngokuthola idolobha elidumile elalahleka emahlathini aseSumatran?
Ngasekupheleni kwawo-1800, umhloli wamazwe waseBrithani ongavamile wanyamalala emahlathini aseSumatra. Sikhuluma ngo-Alfred Isaac Middleton - igama elingaqondakali ebelilokhu lizulazula emiphakathini ehlukahlukene ye-inthanethi kubandakanya ne-inthanethi. Reddit okwesikhashana. UMiddleton kuthiwa wanyamalala ngesikhathi ethungatha amanxiwa edolobha lasendulo elalahleka elaziwa ngeDawleetoo.
Kwakuyisigaba sesikhathi esihluke ngokuphelele, abahloli bamazwe baseNtshonalanga bazulazula emhlabeni wonke befuna izindawo ezintsha nezinto zobuciko, futhi amahlathi aseSumatra ayeyindawo ehehayo ngaleso sikhathi. Ngisho nanamuhla, izingxenye eziningi zala mahlathi anomusa azikahlolisiswa ngokugcwele.
Lokhu kwakudala, lokhu kukudala futhi lokhu kuyinqaba, ngakho Smithsonian kumele ubambe iqhaza, umlando uthi. Ngokombiko we-vintage Smithsonian Magazine, owayengumsizi ka-Arthur Conan Doyle, umngane womhloli wamazwe uSir John Morris, wayeneqoqo lemibhalo mayelana no-Alfred Isaac Middleton; futhi enye yazo yembula uhambo olumangalisayo lomhloli wamazwe oluya empumalanga.
Ikhophi ye-imeyili evela kunxusa laseBrithani yathunyelwa kumsizi kaDoyle, ikhuluma ngenqolobane elahlekile yemibhalo kanye nohambo olungase luthathwe umhloli wamazwe waseBrithani ogama lakhe linguMnuz Alfred Isaac Middleton. Ngokudabukisayo, le ndoda iphila ngesikhathi somunye umuntu ongaziwa ogama lakhe lingu-Edward Allen Oxford. Funda indaba ka-Oxford ethokozisayo lapha.
UMiddleton wayengumhloli wamazwe owayezingela idolobha eselikhohliwe elibizwa ngokuthi i-Dawleetoo, okwakunamahlebezi okuthi lisendleleni eya echibini elibizwa ngokuthi i-Lop Nur, ngokusho kowayengumsizi kaDoyle. I-Lop Nur iyichibi langaphambili likasawoti, manje oselomile kakhulu, elisemngceleni osempumalanga weTarim Basin, phakathi kwezingwadule zaseTaklamakan naseKumtag engxenyeni eseningizimu-mpumalanga yeXinjiang.
Kucatshangelwa ukuthi uMiddleton waphazamiseka futhi waduka endaweni enamahlathi emzileni oya echibini i-Lop Nur. I-imeyili iphinde yasho ingcebo okuthiwa uMiddleton wayiqoqa wayigqiba ebhokisini.
Ngokusobala, akukho okuningi esikwaziyo nge-akhawunti kaMiddleton ngaphandle kwalezi zithombe ezingenhla osekunesikhathi zizungeza ku-inthanethi.
Yebo, ezinye zalezi zithombe ezithakazelisayo zingase zingahlobani nomcimbi wangempela kodwa indaba ka-Alfred Isaac Middleton kanye nedolobha elilahlekile laseDawleetoo ingaba ngemvelaphi yangempela.
Ngokwencwadi, Ibhokisi Elilahlekile likaDawleetoo (1881):
“Imishini kuthiwa ithole idolobha elisehlathini, elibizwa ngeDawleetoo. NgokukaMiddleton, kwakunebalazwe elalinedolobha legolide elehla laze lafika echibini, kanye nesithombe segolide sowesifazane owayevela ezwenikazi elilahlekile elibizwa ngokuthi i-Atlantis.
Iqembu labantu lathunyelwa uMiddleton ukuba liyofuna leli dolobha, futhi kuthiwa enye yamadoda yathola ibhokisi eligqitshiwe eligcwele igolide. Umbiko uthi ngokwencwadi etholakale endaweni yokugcina izincwadi zesonto, uMiddleton walahleka ehlathini waboshwa iqulu lamadoda ayefuna igolide nesichuse. Ngokusobala uMiddleton wafela ekuthunjweni.”
Nakuba, akekho owayazi kahle ukuthi uMiddleton wayengcwatshwe kuphi yonke ingcebo yakhe, indoda egama layo linguJohn Hargreaves kwathiwa ingeyesibili ekubambeni iqhaza kulo msebenzi, futhi yahola elinye iqembu labantu ehlathini ukuze liyolanda umcebo. Ekugcineni, okwenzeka ngohambo lukaMiddleton akwaziwa.
Osomlando abaningi abajwayelekile baphakamise ukuthi izindaba zika-Alfred Isaac Middleton zibe amanga nje nokuthi umgomo kaMiddleton wokuthola uDawleetoo awuzange wenzeke; kodwa abaningi ama-theorists baqiniseka kakhulu ukuthi lolu hambo lwalungokoqobo, kodwa uMiddleton walahleka futhi akaphindanga wabuya.
Ingabe u-Alfred Middleton walithola ngempela idolobha eliyinganekwane elalahleka ngesikhathi? Uma kunjalo, yini impucuko engaqondakali lomuzi wawungowabo? Futhi kwenzekani ngempela kuMiddleton, ingabe walahleka ngempela emahlathini aseSumatra, noma akazange abuye ngamabomu?
Ukuze uthole okwengeziwe ngale ndaba, funda le ncwadi: Ibhokisi Elilahlekile likaDawleetoo (1881)
*Qaphela: Ulwazi lwalesi sihloko sezindaba luthathwe ku-Medium.com, Wikipedia.org & DailyMysteries.com. Izosetshenziswa ngendlela efanelekile njenge ukusetshenziswa okuhle ngaphansi komthetho we-copyright wase-US.
