Ngomnyaka we-1929, imephu yafunyanwa isongwe kwishelfu enothuli kwithala leencwadi kwiTopkapi Palace eConstantinople (namhlanje eyi-Istanbul), eTurkey. Imephu ngoku idume ngokuba yi "Piri Reis Imephu" ebangele impikiswano eshushu kwihlabathi liphela.
Xa ifunyenwe, iMephu yePiri Reis yathathela ingqalelo kwangoko njengoko yayiyenye yeemephu zokuqala zaseMelika, kunye nemephu yenkulungwane ye-16 ebonisa uMzantsi Melika kwindawo yayo yobude obude ngokunxulumene ne-Afrika.
Imephu izotywe kulusu lwenxala kwaye yaqulunqwa ngo-1513 ngu-Ahmed Muhiddin Piri, owayesaziwa njengo-Piri Reis, owayengumphathi-mkhosi wase-Ottoman-Turkey, umkhosi weenqanawa, owejografi kunye nomzobi weemaphu.
Phantse isinye kwisithathu semephu esindayo sibonisa amanxweme asentshona eYurophu, eMntla Afrika, kunye nonxweme lwaseBrazil. Iziqithi ezahlukeneyo zeAtlantic, kubandakanya iAzores kunye neCanary Islands zibonisiwe, njengesiqithi sase-Antillia kunye naseJapan.
Eyona nto iphazamisayo kwimephu yePiri Reis ngumboniso wayo weAntarctica. Imephu ayibonisi kuphela ubunzima bomhlaba kufutshane nomhla weAntarctica, kodwa ibonisa ubume bendawo yaseAntarctica njengongagutyungelwanga ngumkhenkce nakwiinkcukacha ezintle.
Kodwa ngokweencwadi zembali, ukubonwa kokuqala kweAntarctica kwenzeka ngo-1820 ngohambo lwaseRussia lukaMikhail Lazarev noFabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen. Kwelinye icala, kuqikelelwa ukuba iAntarctica igqunywe ngumkhenkce kangangeminyaka engama-6000.
Ngoku abantu abaninzi bawuphakamisile lo mbuzo, ingaba umphathi waseTurkey wayenokuyibeka njani imephu kwilizwekazi elaligqunywe ngumkhenkce kangangesithuba samawaka eminyaka?
Iingxelo ziye zapapashwa zibanga ukuba ubukhosi base-Ottoman babenolwazi lwendlela ethile yempucuko yakudala ye-Ice Age. Nangona kunjalo, la mabango ngokubanzi athathwa njenge-pseudo-scholarship, kwaye uluvo lwabaphengululi kukuba le ngingqi ngamanye amaxesha icingelwa njenge-Antarctica kusenokwenzeka ukuba yiPatagonia okanye iTerra Australis Incognita (uMhlaba ongaseMazantsi ongaziwayo) ekukholelwa ukuba ubukho ngaphambi kokuba uMzantsi weikhweyitha uzaliswe ngokupheleleyo kuphononongwe.
Kwimephu, uPiri Reis unika ikhredithi yemithombo kwimephu ezotywe nguChristopher Columbus, engazange yafunyanwa. Iijografi zichithe iinkulungwane ezininzi zingaphumeleli ukukhangela a "Imephu elahlekileyo kaColumbus" ekucingelwa ukuba yayitsaliwe ngelixa wayese West Indies.
Emva kokufunyanwa kwemephu yePiri Reis, uphando olungaphumelelanga lwasungulwa ukuze kufumaneke imephu yomthombo weColumbus elahlekileyo. Ukubaluleka kwembali yemephu yePiri Reis ilele ekubonakaliseni ubungakanani bolwazi lwesiPhuthukezi lweLizwe elitsha ngo-1510. Imephu yePiri Reis okwangoku ikwiThala leencwadi leNdlu iTopkapi eIstanbul, eTurkey, kodwa okwangoku ayiboniswanga. eluntwini.
Ezinye iimephu ezingaqhelekanga
Njengemephu yePiri Reis, kukho enye into engaqhelekanga, imephu ye-Oronteus Finaeus, ikwapela imephu ye-Oronteus Fineus. Yayichaneke ngendlela emangalisayo, kwaye ikwabonisa iAntartica engenamkhenkce engenamkhenkce. Yazotywa ngonyaka ka-1532. Kukwakho neemephu ezibonisa iGreenland njengeziqithi ezibini ezahluliweyo, njengoko oko kwaqinisekiswa luhambo lwaseFransi olukwipolar olwafumanisa ukuba kukho umkhenkce ongqindilili odibanisa into eyiyo ngokwenene iziqithi ezibini.
Enye itshathi emangalisayo yile itsalwa nguHadji Ahmed waseTurkey, unyaka we-1559, apho ebonisa umgca welizwe, malunga ne-1600 Km ububanzi, odibanisa i-Alaska neSiberia. Ibhulorho yendalo enjalo iye yagutyungelwa ngamanzi ngenxa yokuphela kwexesha lomkhenkce, eliye laphakama kwinqanaba lolwandle.
