[14][15] Other historians, relying on Byzantine and other sources, mention that the capture of Edirne took place either in 1369 or after 1371, and they also note that the operations were not directed by Murad but by Turkish beys who were only theoretically subordinate to the Ottomans, as communications between Thrace and Anatolia were cut off from 1366 to 1377.

[34] The villagers assisted in any way they could, with one person climbing the church bell tower to shoot warning shots to Greek outposts in the area that the Turks were attacking Metaxades.

On 28 September 1915, the Bulgarians, after occupying the area of Didymoteicho, following an agreement with the Turks in exchange for Bulgaria's participation in the First World War, arrived in the village and lived peacefully with the inhabitants for a year.

[28] According to K. Gergenis, during the war of 1916–1918, when the opposing forces were England, France, Greece, and Italy on one side and the alliance of the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria on the other, he served in the Bulgarian army as a conscript and fought against his compatriots in the battle of Asprovalta.

This battle lasted for 1.5 hours, resulting in the deaths of three komitatzides, who were later found to be mercenaries in the service of Jafer Tayyar, the military commander of Edirne, according to documents discovered on a killed komitatzis.

Ensign Christos Zikos, posthumously promoted to sub-lieutenant, and police officer Pavlos Galaropoulos continued the fight but eventually ran out of ammunition and were captured by the guerrillas, who then executed them in the village square.

In the following months, they launched a series of attacks against guerrillas operating in various areas such as Chionades, Chandras, Megali Traba, Polia, Ladi, Kyprinos, Avdella, Giatrades, and Metaxades.

Warrant Officer Konstantinos Michalakis also claimed the guerrillas had originated from Bulgaria, noting he observed "men's footsteps and animal tracks running across the Akalaiotiko Rema towards both Bulgarian and Greek territory".

Sergeant Stefanos Moutaftsides stated, "They have crossed into Bulgaria towards Greek territory a thousand times; I have seen it myself in daytime from the mule tracks and from footsteps I discerned when we went together with our platoon to look at the villagers of Alepokhori reap their fields".

[58] On 15 March, the United Nations Balkan Committee officially announced that a group of observers had been sent to Soufli, Didymoteicho, Orestiada, Metaxades, and Ladi to investigate the abduction of children by guerrillas.

The broken embankments around Metaxades left the village vulnerable to future floods, restricting residents and farmers from accessing certain areas and causing significant disruption to daily life and agricultural activities.

In contrast, the women of the village typically socialize in less visible areas, such as in front of their homes or within their yards, reflecting a cultural tradition that remains prevalent in rural Greek communities.

Folklorist Georgios Megas analyzes the reasons justifying the architectural choices of buildings from this period, stating that the form of the churches is a result of the inhabitants' fear of provoking the wrath of the conquerors, as they often fell victim to the Janissaries and the Delibashes who plagued the region of Thrace from their base in Constantinople.

The recreation area is well-equipped with various facilities, including wooden benches and tables, a water tap, barbecues, resting gazebos, a playground, litter bins, and toilets, making it a popular spot for outdoor activities.

Notable areas include Galazio Pigadi, Drosia, Hatzi Kouri, Fountoukli, Kazania, Lefkes, Papadimadika, Megalos Lakos (also known as Kantina), Motsali, Parouses, Kalo Rema, Palia Ampelia, Bairoudia, Mikro Dasos, Mpolio, Livadia, Biziriaggelou, Pallas, Setman (also known as Vergi), and Sfageia.

The club is particularly noted for its annual celebrations held each August, which feature barbecues, live music performances with traditional instruments, and various recreational activities such as shooting competitions.

[119][120] The residents of Metaxades and the surrounding settlements produce a range of high-quality products, including cheese, sausages, honey, raki, and olive oil, which are supplied to the local market.

[117] In the village square, in the Community Building of Metaxades, there is the Citizen Service Centre (CSC) that serves the local area, an ATM of Piraeus Bank, and the Children's and Youth Library.

In Metaxades, the Lazarines (also known as Lazaritses, Lazaraios, Lazarakia, Lazarice or Lazaritsia in other villages) began preparations for the feast of Saint Lazarus[disambiguation needed] as early as Clean Monday.

This tradition is a South Slavic procession, also referred to as Lazaruvane in Bulgaria, is part of the broader customs observed during the Eastern Orthodox feast of Lazareva Subota, the day before Palm Sunday.

[136] On this day, Muslim women would dress their children in their finest clothes—salwaras, tufted skirts, floral garments, adorned with ribbons, braids, rings, baubles, and blue beads with peepholes.

The Greek carol sung during this time had an erotic and festive quality, reminiscent of the "old" Thracian lazarika and the "Lalar Lalaska" folk chants, reflecting the sensual and celebratory spirit of the occasion.

[140] The women's costume consists of the following parts: the shirt, the dress (foustan), the vest (kapoudi), the jacket (saltamarka), the apron, the coat (gouna), the socks (tsirapia), the shoes (mestia), the scarves, and various other accessories and jewelry.

Stone is commonly used for the main structure, while upper floors and walls often consist of chatma—a composite of plastered woven branches or wooden bars reinforced with lime mortar and organic materials such as straw or goat hair.

The primary connection of Metaxades with the construction art of Bulgaria, as a source of know-how and a place of apprenticeship in the early 20th century, is mentioned as Mandritsa, a settlement in the Rhodope mountain range, west of Didymoteicho, 2 km within Bulgarian territory with a bilingual population (Greeks from Souli and Arvanites).

[161][162][163] Residents of Metaxades claim that the buildings constructed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries were built by Greek master carpenters, known as dolgers, from Ortakoy in Thrace, the present-day Ivaylovgrad in Bulgaria.

In Metaxades, the dolgers' craft evolved as the wooden frame of the buildings incorporated expertly carved stones, replacing typical wall materials, such as bricks, bagdati, and chatma.

Studies have focused on the ability of Metaxades zeolites to remove heavy metals and radionuclides from aqueous solutions, making them valuable for water purification and environmental cleanup projects.

Notable among them are insects from the Saltatoria order, including Leptophyes albovittata, Poecilimon miramae, Platycleis (Insertana) inserta, Metrioptera (Roeseliana) fedtschenkoi ambitiosa, and Pholidoptera fallax.

Other notable bird species in the region include Charadrius dubius (Little Ringed Plover), Charadrius hiaticula (Common Ringed Plover), Vanellus vanellus (Northern Lapwing), Gallinago gallinago (Common Snipe), Scolopax rusticola (Eurasian Woodcock), Larus ridibundus (Black-headed Gull), Larus cachinnans (Caspian Gull), Columba livia (Rock Dove), Columba palumbus (Common Wood Pigeon), Streptopelia decaocto (Eurasian Collared Dove), Streptopelia turtur (European Turtle Dove), Cuculus canorus (Common Cuckoo), Tyto alba (Barn Owl), Otus scops (Eurasian Scops Owl), Bubo bubo (Eurasian Eagle-Owl), Athene noctua (Little Owl), Strix aluco (Tawny Owl), Asio otus (Long-eared Owl), Caprimulgus europaeus (European Nightjar), Apus apus (Common Swift), Apus pallidus (Pallid Swift), Apus melba (Alpine Swift), Merops apiaster (European Bee-eater), Coracias garrulus (European Roller), Alcedo atthis (Common Kingfisher), Upupa epops (Eurasian Hoopoe), Picus canus (Grey-headed Woodpecker), Picus viridis (European Green Woodpecker), Dendrocopos major (Great Spotted Woodpecker), Dendrocopos syriacus (Syrian Woodpecker), Melanocorypha calandra (Calandra Lark), Calandrella brachydactyla (Greater Short-toed Lark), Galerida cristata (Crested Lark), Lullula arborea (Woodlark), Alauda arvensis (Eurasian Skylark), Riparia riparia (Sand Martin), Hirundo rupestris (Eurasian Crag Martin), Hirundo rustica (Barn Swallow), Hirundo daurica (Red-rumped Swallow), Delichon urbicum (Common House Martin), Anthus campestris (Tawny Pipit), Anthus trivialis (Tree Pipit), Anthus pratensis (Meadow Pipit), Motacilla flava (Western Yellow Wagtail), Motacilla cinerea (Grey Wagtail), Motacilla alba (White Wagtail), Troglodytes troglodytes (Eurasian Wren), Prunella modularis (Dunnock), Erithacus rubecula (European Robin), Luscinia megarhynchos (Common Nightingale), Phoenicurus ochruros (Black Redstart), Phoenicurus phoenicurus (Common Redstart), Saxicola torquata (European Stonechat), Saxicola rubetra (Whinchat), Oenanthe isabellina (Isabelline Wheatear), Oenanthe oenanthe (Northern Wheatear), Oenanthe hispanica (Black-eared Wheatear), Turdus merula (Common Blackbird), Turdus pilaris (Fieldfare), Turdus philomelos (Song Thrush), Turdus iliacus (Redwing), Turdus viscivorus (Mistle Thrush), Cettia cetti (Cetti's Warbler), Hippolais pallida (Eastern Olivaceous Warbler), Hippolais icterina (Icterine Warbler), Sylvia cantillans (Subalpine Warbler), Sylvia melanocephala (Sardinian Warbler), Sylvia hortensis (Orphean Warbler), Sylvia communis (Common Whitethroat), Sylvia borin (Garden Warbler), Sylvia atricapilla (Eurasian Blackcap), Phylloscopus bonelli (Western Bonelli's Warbler), Phylloscopus collybita (Common Chiffchaff), Muscicapa striata (Spotted Flycatcher), Ficedula parva (Red-breasted Flycatcher), Ficedula albicollis (Collared Flycatcher), Ficedula hypoleuca (European Pied Flycatcher), Aegithalos caudatus (Long-tailed Tit), Parus lugubris (Sombre Tit), Parus ater (Coal Tit), Parus caeruleus (Eurasian Blue Tit), Parus major (Great Tit), Sitta europaea (Eurasian Nuthatch), Certhia familiaris (Eurasian Treecreeper), Oriolus oriolus (Eurasian Golden Oriole), Lanius collurio (Red-backed Shrike), Lanius minor (Lesser Grey Shrike), Lanius senator (Woodchat Shrike), Garrulus glandarius (Eurasian Jay), Pica pica (Eurasian Magpie), Corvus monedula (Western Jackdaw), Corvus frugilegus (Rook), Corvus corone (Carrion Crow), Corvus corax (Common Raven), Sturnus vulgaris (European Starling), Passer domesticus (House Sparrow), Passer hispaniolensis (Spanish Sparrow), Passer montanus (Eurasian Tree Sparrow), Fringilla coelebs (Common Chaffinch), Fringilla montifringilla (Brambling), Serinus serinus (European Serin), Carduelis chloris (European Greenfinch), Carduelis carduelis (European Goldfinch), Carduelis spinus (Eurasian Siskin), Carduelis cannabina (Common Linnet), Coccothraustes coccothraustes (Hawfinch), Emberiza citrinella (Yellowhammer), Emberiza cirlus (Cirl Bunting), Emberiza hortulana (Ortolan Bunting), Emberiza caesia (Cretzschmar's Bunting), Emberiza schoeniclus (Common Reed Bunting), Emberiza melanocephala (Black-headed Bunting), and Miliaria calandra (Corn Bunting).