Sabika bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa


Sabika bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa is the first wife of the present King of Bahrain, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, and the mother of the Crown Prince, Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.

Personal life

Sabika bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa was born in Muharraq, Bahrain in 1948, a daughter of Ibrahim bin Muhammad Al Khalifa, by his wife, Fatima bint Salman Al Khalifa, daughter of Salman ibn Hamad Al Khalifa, the Hakim of Bahrain between 1941 and 1960.
She married her first cousin, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, on 9 October 1968. Sabika and Hamad have four children, three sons and one daughter:
She is the head of the Supreme Council for Women in Bahrain, that has encouraged the expansion of women's rights in Bahrain, encouraging women to vote in the 2001 elections, and, in June 2005, hosted the first ladies of the Arab world in Bahrain for the second meeting of the Higher Council of Arab Women Organisation.
She is also the chief patron of the Society for Women and Children in Bahrain and has addressed the United Nations General Assembly on topics such as Children – future action and Children – programme implementation.

Honours