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Island of Halki

In ancient times, the island was divided in 30 municipalities (ktines) and followed the historic course of Rhodes, being connected with it from the very early days. Halki was inhabited since the prehistoric era. In the historic period, from time to time Halki was believed to depend on Kamiros, while in the tax lists of the Delos Alliance it appeared as an ally of the Athenians, suggesting that at that period it was an independent administrative entity.

Later, it again seemed to depend on Kamiros and in the subsequent centuries it followed the rise and fall of Rhodes. In the 12th century, the Knights of Rhodes gave Halki as a feudal property to the Assanti family of Ischia. At that time the fortress was built on the ruins of the ancient acropolis where the population found refuge in case of raid. Since the mid 19th century Halki, then under Turkish occupation, reached the apogee of its prosperity. Together with Symi, Kalymnos and Kastelorizo, they developed trade and sponge-fishing. Schools were founded and the educational level of the population rose impressively.
In the last years of Turkish occupation and during Italian occupation the long-inherited privileges were abolished, trade and sponge-fishing were hit and the hemorrhage of migration started. In 1912 Halki and the Dodecanese as a whole came under Italian dominance, military and political after 1923. During World War II Halki won glory due to the struggles and the blood of its merited children such as lieutenant Alexandros Diakos and captain Diogenis Fanourakis.
There is only one settlement, Halki or Nimborio, capital and port of the island, amphitheatrically built around the closed harbour - protected by the islets Nisos and Krevati - with its uniform two-storey and three-storey, tile-roofed, stone-built houses, a settlement glowing with nobleness. Behind the town rise the bare and steep rocks of the island. The hills are not high and Maistro, the highest crest in the central-eastern part of the island, has an altitude of only 500 meters. Halki has been proclaimed a traditional settlement and was honored to become a municipality. It was founded in 1850-1879 by the island's dwellers.

There is only one settlement, Halki or Nimborio, capital and port of the island, amphitheatrically built around the closed harbour - protected by the islets Nisos and Krevati - with its uniform two-storey and three-storey, tile-roofed, stone-built houses, a settlement glowing with nobleness. Behind the town rise the bare and steep rocks of the island. The hills are not high and Maistro, the highest crest in the central-eastern part of the island, has an altitude of only 500 meters. Halki has been proclaimed a traditional settlement and was honored to become a municipality. It was founded in 1850-1879 by the island's dwellers.

Other islands in the area

ALIMIA
The island of Alimia is in the NE, between Halki and the Scala of Kamiros (Rhodes). Its a natural harbor was used both as a shelter and a base of operations during World War II. Daily excursions are organized to the island and you can arrive there in 30 minutes. Its highest hill has an altitude of 269 m. There is also a small pine-clad bay, its beach covered with pebbles, and two little churches: Aghios Gheorghios and Aghios Minas. In the triangle between Halki, Alimia and Rhodes there is a complex of islets. Among them you find Aghii Theodori, Makry and Tragousa.

All maps, photos and text are property of the Tourism Organization of Dodecanese

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