1 October 2006. Retrieved 8 October 2006. [3] In 1820, the Al Khalifa tribe came to power in Bahrain and entered a treaty relationship with Great Britain . This treaty granted the Al Khalifa the title of Rulers of Bahrain. [4] Shirin Sadeghi, "The Fabrication of Bahrain’s Shiite-Sunni Divide," HUFFPOST WORLD, March