Metohija
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Map of Metohija within Kosovo. The largest cities are also shown |
Metohija (
Serbian: Метохија/
Metohija,
Albanian:
Rrafshi i Dukagjinit) also spelled
Metohia, is a large
basin and the name of the region covering the south-western part of
Kosovo.
The name
Metohija means
"land owned and governed by monasteries" or simply
"church land". The term is of
Greek origin and derives from the medieval name for the monastery land given to
Orthodox monasteries by the
Serbian rulers.In
Albanian the area is called
Rrafshi i Dukagjinit and means
the plateau of Duke Gjin, named after the land possessions of an Albanian medieval nobleman.
Serbs, among others, maintain that
Metohija is one of two parts of the province
Kosovo and Metohija, although commonly only the name
Kosovo is used for the whole region. Common in
Serbia,
Montenegro and
Republika Srpska is also the shortened form
Kosmet.
The full name was official until
1974 when it was abolished by the
communist regime due to the religious meaning, although it was still used among the Serbian population and in
1989 officially re-established by the
Serbian government.
Metohija is 23
kilometers wide at the widest point and about 60 kilometers long, at average
altitude of 550
meters above the
sea level. Its principal river is
White Drim. It is bordered by mountain ranges
Mokra Gora from north and northwest,
Prokletije from west,
Pastrik from southwest,
Šar mountain from south and southeast, and
Drenica, which distinguishes it from the rest of Kosovo in the east and northeast.
The geographic division between Metohija and Kosovo causes differences between the two areas
flora and
fauna. Metohija has the characteristic influence of the
Mediterranean, thus being the region with the highest number of Mediterranean
species of flora and fauna in
Serbia, while Kosovo's ecology does not differ from that of the rest of Serbia.
Metohija consists of fertile arable land with many small rivers which provide water for irrigation and, in combination with the Mediterranean climate, give excellent fields. Except for
cereals, this area is well known for its qualitative
vineyards, all sorts of
fruit,
chestnut and
almond.
The largest cities in Metohija are:
*
Prizren*
Đakovica*
Peć*
Istok*
Orahovac*
DečaniSee History of KosovoThe region of Metohija received waves of Slavic migrations in the 6th-7th centuries. In the 630s, it became a part of the newly formed
Serbian Principality, Grand Principality since the middle of the 9th century) of
Rascia under the
Byzantine Empire, with
Dostinik as its capital, ruled by the
House of Vlastimirović.
At the dawn of the 10th century, Metohija was conquered by the Bulgarian Tsar
Simeon. Although Serbian rule would be briefly restored in the early 10th, Byzantine rule was restored after its fall in 960.
Control over the region of Metohija was slowly restored by the
House of Vojislavljević Princes and Grand Princes of Rascia throughout the 11th and 12th centuries. They were replaced by the new
House of Nemanjić subsequently. The
Kingdom of the Serbs was created in 1217, and an
Empire in 1345.
Metohija was conquered by the
Ottomans and incorporated into the Empire's
Viyalet of Kosovo after the fall of Serbia in 1459. Metohija witnissed very intense migrations of
Albanians, who would replace the
Serbs as the dominent ethnic group of Metohija and
Islam replace the previously dominant
Orthodox Christianity.
The area was taken by the
Kingdom of Montenegro in the 1912
Balkan War. During the
First World War, Montenegro was conquered by the
Austro-Hungarian forces in 1915. The
Central Powers were pushed out of Metohija by the Serbian Army in 1918. Montenegro subsequently joined the
Kingdom of Serbia, which was followed by the formation of the
Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. The Kingdom was reformed into the
Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1929. The Kingdom suffered an
Axis invasion during
World War II in 1941, and the region of Metohija was incorporated into the Italian-controlled
Fascist Albania. After Italy's treaty with the
Allies in 1943, the Germans took direct control over the region. After numerous rebellions of
Serbian Chetniks and
Yugoslav Partisans, Metohija was liberated after 1944 and became a part of
Serbia's
Autonomous Province of Kosmet - inside the transitional
Democratic Federal Yugoslavia.
*
Kosovo
