The Assyrian King Shalmaneser III established a settlement here named Shitamrat. The town was subsequently settled by a number of civilisations and known as Urima, Qal'a Rhomayta or Hesna d-Romaye, to the Byzantine Greeks it was known as Romaion Koula, and the Arab caliphate changed this name to Qal'at al-Rum appropriate for being a border castle at the time. The town was fortified and was besieged by the Mameluks in 1280, who conquered the outlying Christian villages but were unable to break into the Rumkale fortress, which eventually fell to the Mameluk Sultan al-Ashraf in 1290. The Mameluks repaired the city walls and renamed the place Qal'at al-Muslimin although the names Urumgala and Rumkale persisted. The town was brought under Ottoman rule by Selim I.
Post-dam settlement
As part of the Southeastern Anatolia Project, aka GAP, several dams were constructed in the area and surrounding regions as part of a larger agricultural and economic initiative by the Turkish Government. The town of Halfeti was among those settlements, ancient and contemporary, that would remain under the rising water levels of the local dams and rivers following the execution of the GAP. Until the area was flooded in 1999, the people lived from fishing in the Euphrates and farming on the riverbank, especially growing pistachios. Then the waters came and 'new' Halfeti was built. Some buildings, including the jail, were pulled down and rebuilt in the new town. The old town of Halfeti is only partially submerged and is beginning to attract visitors, especially those who hire a ferry to visit the ruins of the nearby fortress of Rumkale. The countryside is also attractive, although the green valley of the past is now underwater. Opposite Halfeti stood the village of Kale Meydanı, which was also submerged, but the large landowners house was taken and reconstructed in the grounds of Harran University.
Villages and Quarters
Halfeti is composed of the following villages and urban quarters, each headed by a mukhtar:
Politics
In 31 March 2019 local elections the candidate of the Justice and Development Party, Şeref Albayrak was elected mayor receiving 54,92% of the votes. His first rival Peoples' Democratic Party's candidate Abdurrahman Çiftçi obtained 37.56% of votes. The current Kaymakam is Selami Korkutata.
