diff --git a/docs/content/guide/$location.ngdoc b/docs/content/guide/$location.ngdoc
index db121430cd24..4a5589750dcc 100644
--- a/docs/content/guide/$location.ngdoc
+++ b/docs/content/guide/$location.ngdoc
@@ -95,6 +95,8 @@ To configure the `$location` service, retrieve the
   `true` or `enabled:true` - see HTML5 mode<br />
   `false` or `enabled:false` - see Hashbang mode<br />
   `requireBase:true` - see Relative links<br />
+  `rewriteLinks:true` - see Html link rewriting<br />
+  `rewriteLinks:'string'` - see Html link rewriting<br />
   default: `enabled:false`
 
 - **hashPrefix(prefix)**: {string}<br />
@@ -326,6 +328,18 @@ reload to the original link.
 - Links starting with '/' that lead to a different base path<br>
   Example: `<a href="/not-my-base/link">link</a>`
 
+If `html5Mode.rewriteLinks` is set to `false` in the html5Mode definition object passed to
+`$locationProvider.html5Mode()`, the browser will perform a full page reload for every link.
+`html5Mode.rewriteLinks` can also be set to a string, which will enable link re-writing only on
+links that have the given attribute.
+
+For example, if `html5Mode.rewriteLinks` is set to "internal-link":
+- `<a href="/some/path" internal-link>link</a>` will be rewritten
+- `<a href="/some/path">link</a>` will perform a full page reload
+
+Note that attribute name (de)normalization does not apply here, so "internalLink" is different from
+"internal-link".
+
 
 ### Relative links
 
@@ -853,6 +867,3 @@ angular.module('locationExample', [])
 # Related API
 
 * {@link ng.$location `$location` API}
-
-
-
diff --git a/src/ng/location.js b/src/ng/location.js
index a9d04002dfb4..80c2fc4f5c3c 100644
--- a/src/ng/location.js
+++ b/src/ng/location.js
@@ -750,8 +750,12 @@ function $LocationProvider() {
    *     whether or not a <base> tag is required to be present. If `enabled` and `requireBase` are
    *     true, and a base tag is not present, an error will be thrown when `$location` is injected.
    *     See the {@link guide/$location $location guide for more information}
-   *   - **rewriteLinks** - `{boolean}` - (default: `true`) When html5Mode is enabled,
-   *     enables/disables url rewriting for relative links.
+   *   - **rewriteLinks** - `{boolean|String}` - (default: `true`) When html5Mode is enabled,
+   *     enables/disables url rewriting for relative links. If set to a string, url rewriting will
+   *     only happen on links with an attribute that matches the given string. For example, if set
+   *     to "internal-link", then the URL will only be rewritten for `<a internal-link>` links. Note
+   *     that attribute name (de)normalization is not happening here. So "internal-link" is
+   *     different from "internalLink".
    *
    * @returns {Object} html5Mode object if used as getter or itself (chaining) if used as setter
    */
@@ -769,7 +773,7 @@ function $LocationProvider() {
         html5Mode.requireBase = mode.requireBase;
       }
 
-      if (isBoolean(mode.rewriteLinks)) {
+      if (isBoolean(mode.rewriteLinks) || isString(mode.rewriteLinks)) {
         html5Mode.rewriteLinks = mode.rewriteLinks;
       }
 
@@ -866,10 +870,11 @@ function $LocationProvider() {
     }
 
     $rootElement.on('click', function(event) {
+      var rewriteLinks = html5Mode.rewriteLinks;
       // TODO(vojta): rewrite link when opening in new tab/window (in legacy browser)
       // currently we open nice url link and redirect then
 
-      if (!html5Mode.rewriteLinks || event.ctrlKey || event.metaKey || event.shiftKey || event.which === 2 || event.button === 2) return;
+      if (!rewriteLinks || event.ctrlKey || event.metaKey || event.shiftKey || event.which === 2 || event.button === 2) return;
 
       var elm = jqLite(event.target);
 
@@ -879,6 +884,8 @@ function $LocationProvider() {
         if (elm[0] === $rootElement[0] || !(elm = elm.parent())[0]) return;
       }
 
+      if (isString(rewriteLinks) && isUndefined(elm.attr(rewriteLinks))) return;
+
       var absHref = elm.prop('href');
       // get the actual href attribute - see
       // http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ie/dd347148(v=vs.85).aspx
diff --git a/test/ng/locationSpec.js b/test/ng/locationSpec.js
index 20567017c5c7..00b342e76f1c 100644
--- a/test/ng/locationSpec.js
+++ b/test/ng/locationSpec.js
@@ -1588,7 +1588,7 @@ describe('$location', function() {
 
 
     it('should not rewrite links when rewriting links is disabled', function() {
-      configureTestLink({linkHref: 'link?a#b', html5Mode: {enabled: true, rewriteLinks:false}, supportHist: true});
+      configureTestLink({linkHref: 'link?a#b'});
       initService({html5Mode:{enabled: true, rewriteLinks:false},supportHistory:true});
       inject(
         initBrowser({ url: 'http://host.com/base/index.html', basePath: '/base/index.html' }),
@@ -1601,6 +1601,34 @@ describe('$location', function() {
     });
 
 
+    it('should rewrite links when the specified rewriteLinks attr is detected', function() {
+      configureTestLink({linkHref: 'link?a#b', attrs: 'force-rewrite'});
+      initService({html5Mode:{enabled: true, rewriteLinks:'force-rewrite'},supportHistory:true});
+      inject(
+        initBrowser({ url: 'http://host.com/base/index.html', basePath: '/base/index.html' }),
+        setupRewriteChecks(),
+        function($browser) {
+          browserTrigger(link, 'click');
+          expectRewriteTo($browser, 'http://host.com/base/link?a#b');
+        }
+      );
+    });
+
+
+    it('should not rewrite links when the specified rewriteLinks attr is not detected', function() {
+      configureTestLink({linkHref: 'link?a#b'});
+      initService({html5Mode:{enabled: true, rewriteLinks:'yes-rewrite'},supportHistory:true});
+      inject(
+        initBrowser({ url: 'http://host.com/base/index.html', basePath: '/base/index.html' }),
+        setupRewriteChecks(),
+        function($browser) {
+          browserTrigger(link, 'click');
+          expectNoRewrite($browser);
+        }
+      );
+    });
+
+
     it('should rewrite full url links to same domain and base path', function() {
       configureTestLink({linkHref: 'http://host.com/base/new'});
       initService({html5Mode:true,supportHistory:false,hashPrefix:'!'});
@@ -1692,7 +1720,7 @@ describe('$location', function() {
 
     it('should not rewrite when full link to different base path when history enabled on old browser',
         function() {
-      configureTestLink({linkHref: 'http://host.com/other_base/link', html5Mode: true, supportHist: false});
+      configureTestLink({linkHref: 'http://host.com/other_base/link'});
       inject(
         initBrowser({ url: 'http://host.com/base/index.html', basePath: '/base/index.html' }),
         setupRewriteChecks(),
@@ -2357,12 +2385,12 @@ describe('$location', function() {
       });
 
 
-      it('should only overwrite existing properties if values are boolean', function() {
+      it('should only overwrite existing properties if values are the correct type', function() {
         module(function($locationProvider) {
           $locationProvider.html5Mode({
             enabled: 'duh',
             requireBase: 'probably',
-            rewriteLinks: 'nope'
+            rewriteLinks: 500
           });
 
           expect($locationProvider.html5Mode()).toEqual({
@@ -2376,6 +2404,19 @@ describe('$location', function() {
       });
 
 
+      it('should allow rewriteLinks config to be set to a string', function() {
+        module(function($locationProvider) {
+          $locationProvider.html5Mode({
+            rewriteLinks: 'yes-rewrite'
+          });
+
+          expect($locationProvider.html5Mode().rewriteLinks).toEqual('yes-rewrite');
+        });
+
+        inject(function() {});
+      });
+
+
       it('should not set unknown input properties to html5Mode object', function() {
         module(function($locationProvider) {
           $locationProvider.html5Mode({