Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa (1872–1942)

Shaikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa was born on February 6, 1872, in Riffa. Serving as deputy ruler for decades under his father Shaikh Isa bin Ali, he formally assumed the rulership in December 1932.

His reign marked the transformative watershed in Gulf history. In June 1932, Bahrain struck oil at the Jabal Dukhan well—the very first petroleum discovery on the Arabian side of the Persian Gulf. Shaikh Hamad utilized state oil revenues to build the modern port, pave national highways, build the Shaikh Hamad Causeway in 1941, and introduce modern electricity and public hospitals across the archipelago.