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.

Drançolli also state that the name 'Metohija' does not appear as a geographic notion in the Medieval and Ottoman period which would have the meaning of the territory of Peja, Gjakova and Prizren.

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.

The geographical region of Metohija is further divided into four parts: Prizrenski Podgor, Llapusha, Reka and Rugova.

[12] 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.

[12] Necropolises near Zhur suggest that the southwestern-most part of Metohija at the end of 6th century BC was subject to Illyrian influx.

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 region was conquered by Bulgaria in the early 10th century, after which Byzantine rule was restored, briefly ca.

The Kingdom suffered an Axis invasion during World War II in 1941, and the region of Metohija was incorporated into Italian-controlled Albania, with the Italians employing the "Vulnetari", an Albanian volunteer militia, to control the villages.

After Italy's treaty with the Allies in 1943, the Germans took direct control over the region, supported by the local Albanian collaborationists (Balli Kombëtar).

In 1946, it became part of Serbia's Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija, within the transitional Democratic Federal Yugoslavia.