Ngo-1929, kwatholakala imephu isongwe eshalofini elinothuli emtatsheni wezincwadi eTopkapi Palace eConstantinople (namuhla eyi-Istanbul), eTurkey. Imephu manje isidume njenge- “Piri Reis Map” esuse impikiswano eshubile emhlabeni jikelele.
Lapho itholakala, iPiri Reis Map yadonsela ukunakwa ngokushesha njengoba yayingelinye lamamephu okuqala aseMelika, futhi yimephu kuphela yekhulu le-16 ekhombisa iNingizimu Melika endaweni yayo yobude obude maqondana ne-Afrika.
Imephu idwetshwe esikhunjeni sezinsikazi futhi yahlanganiswa ngo-1513 ngu-Ahmed Muhiddin Piri, owaziwa kakhulu njengoPiri Reis, owayengumphathi wamasosha ase-Ottoman-Turkish, itilosi, i-geographer kanye nomdwebi wamabalazwe.
Cishe ingxenye eyodwa kwezintathu yemephu esindayo ikhombisa ogwini olusentshonalanga yeYurophu, iNyakatho Afrika nogu lwaseBrazil. Iziqhingi ezahlukahlukene zase-Atlantic, ezihlanganisa i-Azores neCanary Islands ziyakhonjiswa, kanjalo nesiqhingi esiyinsumansumane sase-Antillia futhi mhlawumbe neJapan.
Isici esidida kakhulu seMephu yePiri Reis ukuvezwa kwayo kwe-Antarctica. Imephu ayikhombisi nje kuphela ubukhulu bomhlaba oseduze nosuku lwanamuhla i-Antarctica, kodwa ikhombisa isimo sendawo sase-Antarctica njengesingafihliwe yiqhwa nemininingwane eminingi.
Kepha ngokusho kwezincwadi zomlando, ukubonwa kokuqala okuqinisekisiwe kwe-Antarctica kwenzeka ngo-1820 ngumkhankaso waseRussia kaMikhail Lazarev noFabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen. Ngakolunye uhlangothi, kulinganiselwa ukuthi i-Antarctica ibimbozwe yiqhwa cishe iminyaka engama-6000.
Manje abantu abaningi baphakamise lo mbuzo, umphathi wamasosha waseTurkey osuka engxenyeni yeminyaka eyizinkulungwane edlule adwebe kanjani isimo sendawo yezwekazi esimbozwe yiqhwa izinkulungwane zeminyaka?
Kushicilelwe imibiko ethi uMbuso Wase-Ottoman wawunolwazi ngohlobo oluthile lwempucuko yasendulo ye-Ice Age. Kodwa-ke, lezi zimangalo ngokuvamile zithathwa njengezimbumbulu, futhi umbono wesazi ukuthi kwesinye isikhathi isifunda sicatshangwa njenge-Antarctica cishe iPatagonia noma iTerra Australis Incognita (Umhlaba Ongaziwa WaseNingizimu) okukholelwa kakhulu ukuthi wawukhona ngaphambi kokuthi iNingizimu Nenkabazwe ibe ngokugcwele kuhlolwe.
Kumephu, uPiri Reis unikeza isikweletu semithombo ebalazweni elidwetshwe nguChristopher Columbus, elingakaze litholwe. Izazi zokuma komhlaba ziye zachitha amakhulu eminyaka zingaphumeleli zifuna a “Imephu elahlekile yaseColumbus” lokho kwakudwetshiwe ngenkathi eseWest Indies.
Ngemuva kokutholakala kwemephu yasePiri Reis, kwaqaliswa uphenyo olungaphumelelanga ukuthola imephu yomthombo weColumbus elahlekile. Ukubaluleka komlando webalazwe lasePiri Reis kulele ekubonisweni kwalo ubukhulu bolwazi lwesiPutukezi loMhlaba Omusha ngo-1510. Imephu yasePiri Reis okwamanje itholakala eMtatsheni Wezincwadi Wesigodlo SaseTopkapi e-Istanbul, eTurkey, kodwa okwamanje ayiboniswa emphakathini.
Amanye amamephu amangalisayo
Njengemephu ye-Piri Reis, kukhona okunye okudidayo, imephu ye-Oronteus Finaeus, ephinde yapela imephu ethi Oronteus Fineus. Yayinembe ngendlela emangalisayo, futhi nayo ikhombisa i-Antartica engenaqhwa engenaso isivalo seqhwa. Yadwetshwa ngonyaka ka-1532. Kukhona namamephu abonisa iGreenland njengeziqhingi ezimbili ezihlukene, njengoba kwaqinisekiswa uhambo lwaseFrance olutholakala ezindaweni ezishisayo olwathola ukuthi kuneqhwa eliwugqinsi impela elihlanganisa lokho okuyiziqhingi ezimbili ngempela.
Elinye ishadi elimangalisayo yilelo elidwetshwe uHadji Ahmed waseTurkey, ngonyaka we-1559, lapho ebonisa khona umugqa wezwe, ongaba ngu-1600 Km ububanzi, ohlanganisa i-Alaska neSiberia. Ibhuloho elinjalo lemvelo liye lahlanganiswa namanzi ngenxa yokuphela kwenkathi yeqhwa, eyakhuphuka izinga lolwandle.
