Portugali malah aur Cape Bojador ka uboor

1434 mein ek chhota Portugali jahaz Africa ke maghribi sahil par ek retili raas ke paas se guzra aur phir sahih salamat ghar laut aaya. Is zamane ke malahon ke liye yeh raas woh aakhri hadd thi jis se aage un ke buzurg kabhi nahin gaye the. Is ka naam Cape Bojador (Cape Bojador) tha, aur ise paar karne wale captain ka naam Gil Eanes (Gil Eanes) tha. Isi safar se woh silsila shuru hua jo aage chal kar Raas Umeed aur Hindustan ke samandari raste tak pahuncha.

Shahzada Henry aur is ka muarrikh

Is kahani ka markazi kirdar ek shahzada hai jo khud kabhi in Muhimmat par nahin gaya. Encyclopaedia Britannica ke mutabiq Henry (Henry the Navigator) 4 March 1394 ko Porto mein paida hua aur 13 November 1460 ko faut hua. Angrezon ne ise "jahaz raan" ka laqab diya, magar Britannica ke mutabiq yeh laqab durust nahin kyunke woh khud kisi daryafti safar par rawana nahin hua; woh sirf safaron ka sarparast tha aur un ka zyada tar kharch "Order of Christ" nami tanzeem ke fund se aata tha, jis ka woh 1420 se munazzim tha.

In safaron ka sab se aham bayan Portugali muarrikh Gomes Eanes de Zurara (Gomes Eanes de Zurara) ki kitab "Guinea ki daryaft ki tareekh" mein milta hai. Hakluyt Society ne 1896 aur 1899 mein is ka angrezi tarjuma do jildon mein shaya kiya, jo Charles Raymond Beazley (C. R. Beazley) aur Edgar Prestage (Edgar Prestage) ne kiya. Prestage ke taruf ke mutabiq badshah ne 1452 mein Zurara ko yeh kitab likhne ka hukm diya, aur us ne ise Lisbon ke shahi kutub khane mein 18 February 1453 ko mukammal kiya.

Zurara likhta hai ke Henry jaanna chahta tha ke Canary jazair aur Cape Bojador se aage kya hai, kyunke us waqt tak na kisi tehrir se aur na kisi ki yaad se is ilaqe ka kuchh yaqini haal maloom tha. Ek kahani yeh thi ke do bahri jahaz is raas ke paar gaye aur kabhi wapas na aaye.

Malah kyun darte the?

Zurara ki kitab ka athwan baab isi sawal par hai ke jahaz is raas se aage jane ki himmat kyun nahin karte the. Zurara ke baqaul is ki wajah buzdili nahin balke woh purani afwah thi jo Spain ke malah nasl dar nasl sunte aaye the. Malahon ka kehna tha ke is raas ke paar na koi insan hai na basti; zameen Libya ke sehraon jaisi retili hai jahan na pani hai, na darakht, na koi sabz ghas; samundar itna uthla hai ke sahil se ek league door bhi sirf ek fathom (taqriban chhe feet) gehra hai; aur dhare itne khaufnak hain ke jo jahaz ek baar raas se aage nikal gaya woh kabhi wapas nahin aa sakega.

Zurara ke mutabiq barah baras tak Henry har saal jahaz bhejta raha aur har baar woh is raas se pehle laut aaye. World History Encyclopedia mein Mark Cartwright (Mark Cartwright) asl mushkil yeh bayan karte hain ke raas se aage jana to mumkin tha, magar shimal se chalne wali mustaqil hawaon aur mukhalif dharon ke khilaf Europe wapas aana mushkil tha.

Pehli koshish aur shahzade ki naseehat

Zurara ke nawen baab ka unwan hai: "Lagos ka bashinda Gil Eanes kis tarah sab se pehle Cape Bojador se guzra". Is ke mutabiq aakhirkar barah baras baad Henry ne ek "barcha" (barcha) tayyar karai aur apne ek squire (squire) yaani khadim-e-khas Gil Eanes ke hawale ki. World History Encyclopedia ke mutabiq barca is zamane ka aam European jahaz tha jis par chaukor badbaan hote the aur jo sirf peechhe se aane wali hawa mein achhi tarah chal sakta tha.

1433 ke pehle safar mein Gil Eanes par bhi wohi khauf tari hua, aur Zurara ke mutabiq woh sirf Canary jazair tak ja kar laut aaya. Agle saal Henry ne wohi jahaz dobara tayyar karaya aur use alag bula kar samjhaya: "Tumhein koi khatra itna bara nahin milega ke inaam ki umeed is se bari na ho". Us ne kaha ke tum log sirf chaar aise malahon ki raye dohrate ho jo Flanders ki tijarat ya aam raston se aate hain aur "na Sui (qutub numa) jante hain na bahri naqsha".

1434: raas ke paar

Zurara likhta hai ke Gil Eanes ne tay kar liya ke woh pakki khabar laye baghair shahzade ke samne nahin aayega, aur is safar mein woh khatre ki parwa kiye baghair raas se aage nikal gaya. Wahan us ne zameen ko is ke bilkul bar aks paya jaisa woh aur dusre samajhte the. Zurara ka tabsira dilchasp hai: yeh kaam apni zaat mein chhota tha, magar is ki jurrat ki wajah se bara samjha gaya.

Wapsi par Gil Eanes ne bataya ke us ne kashti utari aur sahil par gaya, magar na koi aadmi mila na abadi ka nishan. Nishani ke taur par woh wahan se kuchh paude laya aur shahzade ko pesh kiye jinhein Portugal mein "Saint Mary ke gulab" kaha jata tha. Zurara ke mutabiq is ka bahut achha istiqbal hua aur use izzat aur jaidad mili; Henry ne baad mein use knight bhi banaya.

Beazley ek hashiye mein likhte hain ke British bahriya ke surveys ne dikhaya hai ke Bojador ki khatarnak chattanon aur dharon ki purani kahaniyan bebunyad thin.

Aadmiyon aur onton ke nishan

Agle saal Henry ne ek "barinel" (barinel) tayyar karaya, jo tarjume ke hashiye ke mutabiq chappuon se chalne wala jahaz tha, aur is par apne saqi Afonso Goncalves Baldaia (Afonso Goncalves Baldaia) ko bheja. Gil Eanes apni barca le kar sath gaya. Zurara ke mutabiq woh raas se pachas league aage gaye; zameen wahan bhi ghair abad thi, magar ret par aadmiyon aur onton ke qadmon ke nishan the. Tarjume ke hashiye ke mutabiq malahon ne is jagah ko wahan ki bahut si machhliyon ki wajah se "Angra dos Ruivos" yaani surkh machhliyon ki khaleej ka naam diya.

In nishanon se Henry ne nateeja nikala ke abadi door nahin ho sakti. Zurara likhta hai ke us ne Baldaia ko dobara bheja, jo pichhli jagah se sattar league aur aage, yaani raas se kul ek sau bees league door, ek bare darya jaise dahane tak pahuncha jis mein achhe langar gah the. Yeh jagah "Rio do Ouro" kehlai. Wahan us ne do naujawanon ko ghoron par bitha kar khushki mein bastiyon ki talash mein bheja.

Tareekh aur ikhtilaf

Beazley Hakluyt tarjume ki dusri jild (1899) ke taruf mein likhte hain ke yeh "taqriban yaqini" hai ke 1434 se pehle koi Portugali jahaz Bojador se aage nahin gaya tha; woh yeh bhi batate hain ke Portugali muarrikh Galvano (Galvano) is safar ka saal 1432 likhta hai. Dusri taraf Britannica ke mutabiq yeh riwayat mubalagha hai: jis raas ko Gil Eanes ne Bojador samjha woh dar asal Cape Juby (Cape Juby) thi, jahan se pehle ke malah guzar chuke the. Muhaqqiqin is par aaj bhi ek raye nahin rakhte.

Jo baat wazeh hai woh yeh ke is safar ke baad Portugali malahon ka khauf toot gaya aur har chand baras baad un ke jahaz Africa ke sahil par pehle se aage pahunchne lage. Taqriban pachpan baras baad yeh silsila Africa ke janubi sire tak pahunch gaya.

Agli qist: Afanasy Nikitin: Russia se Hindustan.