The island of Halki took its name from the copper mines that used to be there. There is not much information about the island's prehistory. We do know though that from the 10th to the 5th century BC it enjoyed some kind of prosperity. In ancient years, it was divided into 30 boroughs and its first dwellers were Pelasgians, Dorians, Carians and Phoenicians. In the 7th century, it passed into the possession of the Arabs, until 825 when they were replaced by the Byzantines. In 1522, it was taken by the Turks and in 1912 by the Italians. In general, it shared the fate of the rest of the Dodecanese and became part of Greece on 5 March 1948.