Hamad ibn Isa Al Khalifah (born January 28, 1950 in Manama, Bahrain) is the current King of Bahrain (from 2002), having previously been its Emir (since 1999).
He is the son of Isa ibn Salman al-Khalifa, the previous emir, and has four children, Shaikh Salman on October 21, 1969, Shaikh Abdullah on June 30, 1975, Shaikh Khalifa on June 4, 1977, and Shaikha Najla on May 20, 1981.
He studied at Cambridge University in England, and later at military colleges in the United Kingdom and United States. On 16 February, 1979 he was awarded the Knight of the Order of Saint Michael and Saint George from the United Kingdom
In 2002 he took a stance opposing any 'unilateral' military action by the United States against Iraq.
His keen interest in Arabian horses caused him to establish the Amiri stables in June 1977 which was registered in the World Arabian Horses Organisation in September 1978. The King has great interest in preserving heritage and continues to indulge in a number of sports activities and hobbies including falconry, golf, fishing, tennis and football.
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