Abdullah ibn Ahmad al Khalifa

Abdullah bin Ahmad Al Khalifa (1769–1849) was the ruler of Bahrain between 1821 and 1843. He was the fifth monarch of the Khalifa dynasty.

Early life and reign Abdullah Al Khalifa was born in 1769. He was the son of Ahmad Al Khalifa, the ruler of Bahrain.

Abdullah and his elder brother, Salman bin Ahmad Al Khalifa, began to rule the country together in 1796 when their father, Ahmad, died in Manama. Due to the Ottoman attacks Abdulaziz bin Muhammad did not manage to consolidate his power in Bahrain and had to reduce his forces which allowed the Al Khalifa to reestablish their rule. The agreement provided Abdullah with the opportunity to enjoy the British assistance against the threats from the Qajar rulers of Iran. On the contrary, this second treaty obliged them to follow a non-aggressive policy towards the other rulers of the Gulf. Salman's son, Khalifa, succeeded his father as co-ruler, but Abdullah was the principal ruler. Since the treaty with the British did not provide protection Abdullah made an agreement with the ruler of the Emirate of Najd, Turki bin Abdullah Al Saud, and he recognised the supremacy of the Emirate and agreed to pay them zakat. In turn, Turki bin Abdullah provided Bahrain protection against any attack from others. The treaty demanded him to recognise the supremacy of the Egyptians and pay zakat to them which had been paid to the Emirate of Najd. Another requirement of the treaty was that a Turkish agent was to reside in Bahrain to implement the orders of Muhammad Ali Pasha, leader of the Egyptians.

Later years and death In 1843 Abdullah was forced by the British government to abdicate due to the agreement with Egypt in 1839 and the challenges by Muhammad bin Khalifa.

Abdullah Al Khalifa and his sons settled in Dammam island where one of his sons, Mubarak, was serving as the governor, and lived there for a while until the ruler of the Emirate of Najd, Faisal bin Turki, made an agreement with Muhammad bin Khalifa Al Khalifa not to assist them. Abdullah died in 1849 in Muscat, and his descendants have been living in exile since then.