The Mysterious Handwriting of God Revealed in the Mountains: An Interdisciplinary Analysis of the Architectural, Toponymic, and Cultural-Religious Parallels of Malkhista - Part I

Abstract

The paper explores the historical and cultural landscape of Malkhista, focusing on its architectural and toponymic
features, as well as the cultural and linguistic parallels between the Vainakh and Georgian traditions. It examines the burial
crypts and tower structures of Malkhista, petroglyphs, the historical way of life of the Malkh people, and the ethnographic and
historical evidence concerning them. Particular attention is given to the toponyms “Malkhista” and “Meshekh,” biblical and
religious motifs, and the symbolic connection between the Cave of Bethlehem and the ladder seen by Jacob in his dream. The
author’s discussion draws upon historical, ethnographic, linguistic, and religious sources and combines them through an
interpretative analysis.