Metohija
Metohija
Dukagjin | |
---|---|
Country | Kosovo |
Districts | Gjakova Peja Prizren |
Area | |
• Total | 3,891 km2 (1,502 sq mi) |
Population (2011) | |
• Total | 700,577 |
• Density | 180/km2 (470/sq mi) |
Metohija (Serbian Cyrillic: Метохија, pronounced [metǒxija]) or Dukagjin[a] (Albanian: Rrafshi i Dukagjinit, pronounced [ˈrafʃi i dukaˈɟinit]) is a large basin and the name of the region covering the southwestern part of Kosovo. The region covers 35% (3,891 km2) of Kosovo's total area. According to the 2011 census, the population of the region is 700,577.
Districts
It encompasses three of the seven districts of Kosovo:
Districts | Population (2011) | Area (km2) | Density (per km2)) |
---|---|---|---|
Gjakova | 194,672 | 1,129 | 172.4 |
Peja | 174,235 | 1,365 | 127.6 |
Prizren | 331,670 | 1,397 | 237.4 |
Metohija/Dukagjin | 700,577 | 3,891 | 180.1 |
Names
The name Metohija derives from the Greek word μετόχια (metóchia; singular μετόχιον, metóchion), meaning "monastic estates" – a reference to the large number of villages and estates in the region that were owned by the Serbian Orthodox monasteries and Mount Athos during the Middle Ages.[1]
The oldest name for the region is Dukagjin Plain
In Albanian the area is called Rrafshi i Dukagjinit[3] and means "the plateau of Dukagjin", as the toponym (in Albanian) took the name of the Dukagjini family[4] who ruled a large part of Metohija during the 14th-15th centuries.[5]
The term "Kosovo and Metohija" (
Geography
Metohija is 23 km (14 mi) wide at its broadest point and about 60 km (37 mi) long, at an average altitude of 450 m (1,476 ft)[8] above sea level. Its principal river is the White Drin. It is bordered by the mountain ranges Mokra Gora in the north and northwest, the Accursed Mountains in the west, Pashtrik in the southwest, the Šar Mountains (Albanian: Malet e Sharrit) in the south and southeast, and Drenica in the east and northeast, which distinguishes it from the rest of Kosovo[9] in the east and northeast.
The geographic division between Metohija and the rest of Kosovo causes differences between the two areas'
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
trees.The geographical region of Metohija is further divided into four parts: Prizrenski Podgor, Llapusha, Reka and Rugova.[10]
History
Prehistory
Based on archaeology, the region of Kosovo and Metohija and the Morava Valley were interconnected in the Neolithic (Starčevo and Vinča) and Eneolithic.[11] The Triballi of Morava entered Kosovo in two waves in the 8th and 7th centuries BC, then took part in the genesis of the Dardani.[11] Necropolises near Zhur suggest that the southwesternmost part of Metohija at the end of 6th century BC was subject to Illyrian influx.[11] After the Roman conquests, the Metohija region was divided into Dardania and Praevalitana.
Middle Ages
Coinciding with the decline of the Roman Empire, many "barbarian" tribes passed through the Balkans, most of whom did not leave any lasting state. The Slavs, however, overwhelmed the Balkans in the 6th and 7th centuries. The region was conquered by Bulgaria in the early 10th century, after which Byzantine rule was restored, briefly ca. 970-975, and again after 1018. In terms of ecclesiastical administration, the region of Metohija belonged to the
Ottoman cadastral records, particularly the Ottoman defters of the 15th-16th centuries, indicate that the Dukagjin Plains were inhabited by a majority of Albanian Christians during this period. This Albanian Christian majority of the region mainly concerned itself with agriculture and consisted of both Catholic and Orthodox Albanians. Albanian anthroponomy and onomastics prevailed over Slavic ones, and there are many cases of mixed Slav-Albanian anthroponomy; that is to say, Albanians with elements of Slavic anthroponomy as a result of their conversion to the Orthodox faith. The Slavic population of the region during these times consisted of a small minority, and was mainly located in the Nahiya of Peja and with a very small pocket in the Nahiya of Prizren. [17]
Early modern
Metohija was conquered by the Ottoman Empire in 1455 and incorporated into the
Modern
The area was taken by the
On 17 February 2008, representatives of Kosovo Albanians[19] declared Kosovo's independence and subsequently adopted the Constitution of Republic of Kosovo, which came into effect on 15 June 2008. Serbia still considers Metohija part of its territory.
Notes
- ^ Albanian definite form: Dukagjini
- ^ Albanian definite form: Dukagjini Plain
References
- ISBN 978-1-85065-664-7
- ^ Drançolli, Jahja. "Illyrian-Albanian Continuity the Areal of Kosova". academia.edu.
- ISBN 978-0-8108-5309-6.
- ^ Ulqini, Kahreman (12–18 January 1968). "Prejardhja dhe zhvillimi i toponimit DUKAGJIN". Second Conference of Albanological Studies. Archived from the original on 21 November 2015. Retrieved 10 May 2012.
- ISSN 1727-2548.
- ^ Bennett 1995, p. 53.
- ^ Krieger 2001, p. XXI.
- ^ Geographical Atlas of Yugoslavia, University Press "Liber", Zagreb, 1987. – made from military maps of Geographical Military Institute, Belgrade.
- ^ Pars pro toto
- ^ Alekan Jovanović (1937). Spomenica dvadesetpetogodishnjice oslobodjenja Južne Srbije. p. 432.
- ^ a b c Stojić, Milorad (2000). "Етнокултурни однос Косова и Поморавља у праисторији". Зборник радова Филозофског факултета у Приштини. 30.
- ^ Ćirković 2004, p. 20-21.
- ^ Ćirković 2004, p. 23.
- ^ Ermenji, Abas (1996). Vendi që zë Skënderbeu në historinë e Shqipërisë (in Albanian). Çabej. p. 109.
- ^ Noli, Fan Stylian (1921). Historia e Skënderbeut: Gjerg Kastriotit, Mbretit te Shqiperise, 1412-1468 (in Albanian). Shtypeshkrinja e "Diellit,". p. 111.
- ^ Ćirković 2004, p. 107.
- ^ Pulaha, Selami (1984). Popullsia Shqiptare e Kosoves Gjate Shekujve XV XVI. Tirana: 8 Nëntori. p. 110.
- ISBN 9788671790734.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-08-21. Retrieved 2012-08-19.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
Sources
- Bennett, Christopher (1995). Yugoslavia's Bloody Collapse: Causes, Course and Consequences. London: Hurst & Company. ISBN 9781850652281.
- ISBN 9781405142915.
- Krieger, Heike (2001). The Kosovo Conflict and International Law: An Analytical Documentation 1974–1999. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521800716.
- Pejin, Jovan (2006). "The Extermination of the Serbs in Metohia, 1941-1944". Срби на Косову и у Метохији: Зборник радова са научног скупа (PDF). Београд: Српска академија наука и уметности. pp. 189–207. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-08-01. Retrieved 2017-08-01.
- ISBN 9781850654773.