Page 95 - The Pirate Coast (By Sir Charles Belgrave)

He was a keen, energetic man, for whom Loch developed a great
liking.
Bahrain at this time was ruled by two brothers, Shaikh Abdulla
and Shaikh Sulman, who had absolute control of the country.
They were the sons of Shaikh Ahmed bin Khalifah, known to
posterity as ‘The Conqueror’, who, in 1783, led his tribe from
Zabara on the Qatar coast against Bahrain, expelled the Persian
garrison, and made himself master of the islands. After the con­
quest of Bahrain, the tribe, which was previously known as the
‘Utub\ took the patronymic of‘Khalifah*. The system of dual
control was frequently adopted by the Khalifah in later years, and
at times it worked successfully. Loch refers to Shaikh Sulman,
who lived in the fortress town of Rafaa in the centre of the main
island, as ‘the Shaikh of Bahrain*, and to his brother, Shaikh
Abdulla, who lived in the fort of Abu Maher in Muharraq, as ‘the
Shaikh of Arad’, which is the old name of Muharraq.
The Bahrain Arabs were not themselves engaged in piracy, but
Joasmi ships frequented their harbours, and much of the pirates’
loot and not a few slaves found their way to the Bahrain bazaars.
After taking Bahrain from the Persians, the Khalifah Shaikhs
found themselves in a dangerous position. They expected the
Persians to make an attempt to retake the islands but, though
there were frequent rumours of Persian preparations, no attack
on Bahrain was made. Both the Sultan of Muscat and the
Wahabi Chief had invaded Bahrain, and for some years, the
Wahabis had exercised control over the islands though the people
had never accepted the Wahabi religion. Both these powerful
chiefs desired to possess Bahrain. The Khalifah were also faced
with the lifelong enmity of the Pirate Chief, Rahmah bin Jabr,
Shaikh of the Jalahamah tribe, who awaited an opportunity to
destroy them, and spent much of his time inciting the other Gulf
rulers to attack Bahrain. Their one means of salvation was to
play off their enemies one against the other, and this the Khalifah
Shaikhs succeeded in doing with great skill. The early history of
the Khalifah in Bahrain is confusing, for every few years they
changed their relations with the other Gulf rulers; at one time,
they would combine with the Wahabis against the Muscatis,
another time the Muscatis would be supporting them against the
Wahabis, but by such means they managed to maintain their
independence and their grip over Bahrain. Owing to their pre-
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