Sheikh Khalid bin Sultan Al Qasimi was Ruler of

Sharjah Sharjah (; ', Gulf Arabic: ''aš-Šārja'') is the List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, third-most populous city in the United Arab Emirates, after Dubai and Abu Dhabi. It is the capital of the Emirate of Sharjah and forms part of the D ...

, a Trucial State and now one of the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...

, from 1866 to 1868 and of

Ras Al Khaimah Ras Al Khaimah (; ), often referred to its initials RAK, is the largest city and capital of the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah in the U.A.E. The city had a population of 191,753 in 2025, and is the sixth-most populous city in UAE after Dubai, Abu ...

from 1866 to 1867. His short rule was most notable for the means of his accession, which involved the murder of his nephew, and also his death, at the hands of

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...

Sheikh

Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan (; 1835 – 18 May 1909), also known as Zayed the Great or Zayed the First was the Sheikh of Abu Dhabi from 1855 to his death in 1909. He was the grandfather and namesake of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Z ...

single combat Single combat is a duel between two single combatants which takes place in the context of a battle between two army, armies. Instances of single combat are known from Classical Antiquity and the Middle Ages. The champions were often combatants wh ...

Accession

On the death of Abdulla bin Sultan Al Qasimi during the fighting for Hamriyah in 1855, the administration of Sharjah (under the head of the

Al Qasimi The Al Qasimi (, spelled sometimes as Al Qassimi or Al Qassemi; plural: Al Qawasem and, archaically, Joasmee) is an Arab dynasty in the Persian Gulf that rules Emirate of Sharjah, Sharjah and Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah, Ras Al Khaimah, today for ...

tribe and federation,

Sultan bin Saqr Al Qasimi Sheikh Sultan bin Saqr Al Qasimi (1781–1866) was the Sheikh of the Qawasim and ruled the towns of Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah, Jazirah Al Hamra and Rams; all within the then Trucial States and now part of the United Arab Emirates. Briefly a ...

) fell to a ''

wali The term ''wali'' is most commonly used by Muslims to refer to a saint, or literally a "friend of God".John Renard, ''Friends of God: Islamic Images of Piety, Commitment, and Servanthood'' (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2008); John ...

'', Mohammed bin Saqr Al Qasimi, a grandson of Sultan bin Saqr's. Khalid bin Sultan proceeded to intrigue against Mohammed bin Saqr, who was his nephew. At this time, Sultan bin Saqr was in his dotage and had lost both the use of his hearing and memory and took little or no part in proceedings. By 1859, Khalid had collected strong support from the families of the town and the area became effectively divided between two groups, one supporting Mohammed and one behind Khalid. Khalid and Mohammed rode out together into the desert in late 1860 and Khalid shot Mohammed, dumping his body in a well. Seeking British recognition for his accession, he was rebuffed with the Resident refusing to converse 'with one so recently and fearfully polluted.'

Ruler of Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah

Sultan bin Saqr Al Qasimi died in 1866 at the age of 85 and Khalid proclaimed himself the independent Sheikh of Sharjah, while Ibrahim bin Sultan Al Qasimi declared himself Sheikh of Ras Al Khaimah. However, in May 1867, Khalid led a successful attack on Ras Al Khaimah, expelled Ibrahim and declared himself Ruler. The town of Ras Al Khaimah and its dependencies were then re-incorporated into Sharjah. A number of clashes took place between the forces loyal to Sharjah under Khalid and those of Abu Dhabi under Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan. In April 1868, during one such armed conflict with Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Zayed advanced ahead of his troops and challenged Khalid bin Sultan to single combat. Zayed wounded Khalid mortally and he died that month. He was succeeded by

Salim bin Sultan Al Qasimi Sheikh Salim bin Sultan Al Qasimi was Ruler of Sharjah, a Trucial State and now one of the United Arab Emirates, from 1868–1883. His rule was unusually tumultuous and marked by intrigue, the secession of Sharjah's dependencies and constant c ...

References

{{Rulers of Ras Al Khaimah Sheikhs of the Emirate of Sharjah House of Al Qasimi 19th-century monarchs in the Middle East Sheikhs of the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah 19th-century Arab people