Ahmed al-Fateh (Ahmed bin Muhammad Al Khalifa)

Who is Ahmed al-Fateh (Ahmed bin Muhammad Al Khalifa)?

Ahmed bin Muhammad bin Khalifa, known to history as Ahmed al-Fateh ("Ahmed the Conqueror"), was born in Kuwait in the first half of the eighteenth century into the Anizah tribe, part of the Utub alliance that had migrated from central Arabia. The Utub later built and ruled the town of Zubarah on the Qatari peninsula, from where Ahmed launched his campaign against Bahrain. In 1783, after defeating the forces of Nasr Al-Madhkur, the Persian-appointed governor who had besieged Zubarah, Ahmed pressed his advantage and conquered Bahrain itself, ending Persian control of the islands and restoring Arab rule. This victory made him the first Hakim, or ruler, of Bahrain under the Al Khalifa name, founding a dynasty that has governed continuously ever since. He died in 1795, reportedly of a sudden heart ailment after an afternoon meal, and was buried in Manama beside the grave of a revered religious scholar. Every subsequent monarch of Bahrain descends from him, making his 1783 conquest the founding event of the modern Bahraini state.

Sources: Wikipedia, "Ahmed bin Muhammad bin Khalifa" · Ministry of Information, Kingdom of Bahrain — "History" · House of Khalifa historical records (Wikipedia, "House of Khalifa")