The position of King of Bahrain was created in February 2002 when the then emir of BahrainHamad ibn Isa al-Khalifah gave himself the title of king. Between 1783 and 1971 the rulers of Bahrain were styled as Hakim of Bahrain. Like the emirs, the king of Bahrain is that country's head of state and has nearly absolute power, though Hamad ibn Isa al-Khalifah, the current king, may lose some of his power due to reforms.