KIRABO ki kye wandiwadde omuntu ow’ekitiibwa? Edda ennyo, eby’akaloosa byabanga bya muwendo nnyo nga zzaabu, ne kiba nti kyabanga kisoboka okubiwa kabaka ng’ebirabo. * Eyo ye nsonga lwaki eby’akaloosa bye bimu ku birabo abalaguzisa emmunyeenye bye baawa “Kabaka w’Abayudaaya.”—Matayo 2:1, 2, 11.

Ate era Bayibuli egamba nti kabaka omukazi ow’e Seeba bwe yakyalira Kabaka Sulemaani, ‘yamuwa ttalanta za zzaabu 120, n’amafuta ga basamu mangi nnyo, n’amayinja ag’omuwendo. Amafuta ga basamu amangi ng’ago kabaka omukazi ow’e Seba ge yawa Kabaka Sulemaani tegaddamu kuleetebwa.’ * (2 Ebyomumirembe 9:9, NW) Bakabaka abalala bangi era baaweereza Sulemaani ebyakaloosa okulaga nti bamwagaliza birungi byereere.—2 Ebyomumirembe 9:23, 24.

Lwaki eby’akaloosa byabanga bya muwendo nnyo era nga bya bbeeyi? Kubanga byalina emigaso mingi; byakozesebwanga mu kwerungiya, mu mikolo gy’eddiini, mu mikolo gy’okuziika, ne mu bintu ebirala. (Laba akasanduuko akalina omutwe, “ Engeri eby’Akaloosa gye Byakozesebwangamu.”) Ng’oggyeeko okuba nti byali biyaayaanirwa nnyo, byabanga bya bbeeyi kubanga kyatwalanga ssente nnyingi okubisuubula n’okubitambuza.

Mu biseera eby’edda, ebimu ku bimera ebyakolebwangamu eby’akaloosa byakuliranga mu Kiwonvu kya Yoludaani. Naye eby’akaloosa ebirala byaggibwanga mu nsi ndala. Waliwo eby’akaloosa bingi ebyogerwako mu Bayibuli. Mu ebyo ebimanyiddwa ennyo mwe muli amalanga, alowe, basamu, omudalasiini, obubaani obweru, ne miira. Ng’oggyeeko ebyo, waaliwo kkumino, nnabbugira, ne aneta ebyateekebwanga mu mmere ng’ebirungo.

Eby’akaloosa ebyo byaggibwanga wa? Alowe, kasiya, n’omudalasiini byaggibwanga mu bitundu kati awali China, Buyindi, ne Sri Lanka. Eby’akaloosa gamba nga miira n’obubaani obweru byakolebwanga mu miti ne mu bimera ebyakuliranga mu ddungu eriva mu bukiikaddyo bwa Buwalabu ne lituuka e Somalia, mu Afirika. Ate eby’akaloosa ebiyitibwa naludo byaggibwanga mu kitundu ekiyitibwa Himalayas eky’omu Buyindi.

Abasuubuzi abaatwalanga eby’akaloosa mu Isiraeri baayitanga mu Buwalabu. Era okusinziira ku kitabo ekiyitibwa The Book of Spices, eyo y’emu ku nsonga lwaki mu myaka 2000 egyasembayo ng’embala eno tennatandika, “ebyamaguzi ebyaggibwanga mu Asiya ne bitwalibwa mu Bulaaya ne Amerika ow’Ebukiikakkono” byayisibwanga mu Buwalabu mwokka. Obubuga obw’edda n’ebigo ebiri mu kibuga Negev ekisangibwa mu bukiikaddyo bwa Isiraeri biraga amakubo abasuubuzi b’eby’akaloosa ge baayitangamu. Ekitongole ekiyitibwa World Heritage Centre of UNESCO kigamba  nti ebifo ebyo era biraga nti okusuubula eby’akaloosa “kwavangamu ssente nnyingi . . . era kwakolebwanga okuva mu bukiikaddyo bwa Buwalabu okutuuka ku Meditereniyani.”

Abasuubuzi abaasuubulanga eby’akaloosa baatambulanga olugendo lwa mayiro nga 1,100 nga bayita mu Buwalabu. (Yobu 6:19) Bayibuli eyogera ku basuubuzi Abaisimaeri abaalina eŋŋamira ezaali zeetisse eby’akaloosa gamba nga “amasanda ag’awunya obulungi, ne basamu, n’ebikuta by’emiti egy’amasanda” nga babiggya e Gireyaadi okubitwala e Misiri. (Olubereberye 37:25, NW) Abasuubuzi abo be baagula Yusufu mutabani wa Yakobo ku baganda be ne bamutwala abeere omuddu.

Okumala ebyasa bingi, abasuubuzi Abawalabu be bokka abaali batunda eby’akaloosa ebyavanga mu Asiya, gamba nga kasiya n’omudalasiini. Okusobola okulemesa abantu abaabeeranga mu bitundu ebyetoolodde ennyanja Meditereniyani okwetuukira mu Asiya eby’akaloosa gye byaggibwanga, Abawalabu baayiiya enfumo ezalaganga nti kyabanga kizibu okubifuna. Ekitabo ekiyitibwa The Book of Spices kigamba nti ebifo byennyini eby’akaloosa gye byaggibwanga “kirabika kye kyama ky’abasuubuzi ekikyasinze okukwekebwa.”

Nfumo ki Abawalabu ze baayiiya? Herodotus, munnabyafaayo Omuyonaani ow’omu kyasa eky’okutaano ng’embala eno tennatandika, yayogera ku nfumo ezikwata ku binyonyi ebitiisa ebyazimbanga ebisu byabyo waggulu ku njazi nga bikozesa ebikuta by’omudalasiini. Yawandiika nti okusobola okufuna ebikuta ebyo ebyakolebwangamu eby’akaloosa, abantu baateekanga ebifi by’ennyama ebinene okumpi n’olwazi. Olw’omululu,  ebinyonyi ebyo byatwalanga ennyama nnyingi mu bisu byabyo era n’ekyavangamu, ebisu byawanukangayo ne bigwa. Amangu ddala abantu baggyangawo ebikuta ebyo, ne babiguza abasuubuzi. Enfumo ez’engeri eyo zaabuna mu bitundu bingi. Ekitabo The Book of Spices era kigamba nti omudalasiini “gwali gwa bbeeyi olw’okuba kyali kigambibwa nti kizibu okugufuna.”

Oluvannyuma lw’ekiseera, ekyama ekyo abantu baakitegeera era Abawalabu ne bafiirwa akatale. Ekyasa ekisooka ng’embala eno tennatandika we kyatuukira, ekibuga Alekizandiriya ekya Misiri kyafuuka omwalo ogw’amaanyi eby’akaloosa we byatuukiranga. Abaruumi bwe baayiga okusaabalira ku guyanja Indian Ocean, baavanga ku myalo gy’e Misiri ne bagenda e Buyindi. N’ekyavaamu, eby’akaloosa byeyongera obungi era n’emiwendo gyabyo ne gikendeera.

Leero eby’akaloosa si bya muwendo nnyo nga zzaabu. Era bwe tuba tulowooza ku birabo eby’okuwa kabaka tuyinza obutalowooza ku bya kaloosa. Wadde kiri kityo, abantu bukadde na bukadde okwetooloola ensi beeyambisa eby’akaloosa nga bakola kalifuuwa n’eddagala, era babiteeka ne mu mmere. Mu butuufu, nga bwe kyali emyaka nkumi na nkumi emabega, abantu baagala nnyo eby’akaloosa olw’okuba biwunya bulungi.