Peja or Peć, is the fifth most populous city in region of Kosovo and serves as the seat of the Peja Municipality and the District of Peja. It is located in the Rugova region on the eastern section of the Accursed Mountains along the Peja's Lumbardh in the western part of Kosovo.

In medieval times, the city was under Byzantine, Bulgarian and Serbian rule. After its integration into Serbian territory, it became the seat of the Serbian Orthodox Church in 1346. The Patriarchal monastery of Peć is a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the Medieval Monuments in Kosovo. Under Ottoman rule the city became a district capital with mosques and civil architecture. From the end of the nineteenth century until today, the city has been the site of nationalist aspirations and claims for both ethnic Albanians and Serbs, often resulting in tense inter-ethnic relations and conflict.

According to the 2024 census, the municipality of Peja has 82,745 inhabitants. The municipality covers an area of 602 km² (232 sq mi), including the city of Peja and 95 villages; it is divided into 28 territorial communities.

The etymology of the city's name is derived from the South Slavic word for cave, Pećina. The connection is in reference to nearby caves to the city. During the period of Ottoman rule, it was known as Ottoman Turkish İpek (ايپك). The Albanian name's definite form is Peja and the indefinite Pejë. The Serbian name for the city is Peć. Other names of the city include Latin Pescium and Greek Episkion (Επισκιον) meaning "Episcopal City". It was also known as Siparant.

The city is located in a strategic position on Peja's Lumbardh, a tributary of the White Drin to the east of the Accursed Mountains. The medieval city was possibly built on the ruins of Siparant(um), a Roman municipium (town or city). The area has the most unearthed stelae in all of Kosovo.

Archeological studies have concluded that settlements in the Peja region have existed since the Paleolithic and Mezolithic periods. Several ancient ruins in Peja and in its surrounding villages have been declared as UNESCO heritage monuments, including the ancient fortifications of Gradina and Gjyteti, aswell as the archeological sites of Doberdol, Kryshec, Vranoc, Tuma and Peja (archeological site located inside the city), together with the Roman archeological site of Stanica in Gllogjan.

Several caves in the area, such as the Bukuroshja e Fjetur Cave in Radac, where the remains of a 6,000 year old skeleton were found, the Dema cave, the Karamakazi cave and the Shpella e Mbretëreshes (Queens cave) were inhabited by ancient humans in the early Stone Age according to archeological findings.

According to historiographer Reshat Nurboja, the earliest known name for Peja is "Peion", a Dardanian city built around 231 BC. He states that it was made by the Dardanians as a city to house groups of Pannonians who migrated to the region during the multiple Dardanian-Macedonian conflicts. The name "Peion" could derive from the then Pannonian king Drypeion. Nurboja also places the age of Peja at around 2,300 years old. The city of "Peiscium" mentioned by the Romans in the 4rth-3rd century BC is also thought to have been in the area of the Peja.