The known history of the al-Khalifa family can be traced back to the Bani Utub tribe and from there to the Anaizah tribal confederation. The Bani Utub was a loosely interrelated group of families who left the Anaizah in the Nejd in the late seventeenth century A.D. due to famine and differences with other tribes. According to the Arabian historian Ahmed Mustafa Abu-Hakima, the term Utub has been derived from the Arabian root ‘ataba’, to travel from place to place. (Bani means ‘people of').
Arrival and Consolidation in Kuwait
Starting their ataba in late seventeenth century, the Bani Utub traveled to Eastern Arabia, to Qatar through the Al Hasa province. After staying in Qatar for some time, during which they reportedly occupied Bahrain briefly, the Bani Utub again moved away. In the early eighteenth century, they settled in Kuwait.
At that time, Kuwait was ruled by the Bani Khalid, who, according to Abu-Hakimah, had founded the city in 1716. However, in just a few decades, the Bani Utub outnumbered the Bani Khalifa and rose to power in the city. By mid-eighteenth century, the Al-Sabah family became the leading political family in Kuwait. Sabah I reportedly rose to power in 1752.
Two other families occupied important positions in Kuwait along with the Al-Sabah. The Al-Khalifa family was engaged in pearling and trade, the main means of income of the Kuwaitis, and many other coastal Arab people before the advent of “black gold”. The Al-Jalahimah family is thought to have been responsible for coastal security.
Differences with the al-Sabah and Emigration from Kuwait
However, the partnership was not destined to last long. The exact nature of the dispute is unknown, but it is certain that the differences increased after Abdallah I succeeded his father as the Sheikh of Kuwait in late 1750s or early 1760s. Perhaps it was a dynastic dispute arising from the fact that the Al-Sabah family was establishing a dynasty of their own. Perhaps it was a trade dispute arising from the fact that the Al-Khalifa family was amassing great amounts of wealth through trade and pearling. Most likely it was a combination of both. When the dispute became serious, the Al-Khalifa left the city.
The Conquest of Bahrain
They established themselves under the leadership of Mohammed bin Khalifa at Zubara in the Qatar peninsula. Soon, disputes over trade and pearling grounds rose between the rulers of Bahrain and Zubara. In 1783, when Mohamed bin Khalifa was on pilgrimage, the Bahraini ruler invaded Zubara. Ahmed bin Mohammed ibn Khalifa, the son of the Sheikh of Zubara defeated the Bahrainis and conquered the island. Mohammed bin Khalifa died during the pilgrimage and Ahmed bin Mohammed ibn Khalifa became the first Al-Khalifa ruler of Bahrain. The family lost control of Qatar in the eighteenth century but has ruled Bahrain ever since 1783.
Sources
Crystal, Jill Kuwait: The Transformation of an Oil State, Westview Press (1992)
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