Qatar’s former Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani dies at 74
"Father Emir," who transformed Gulf state into global force in energy, media and diplomacy before handing power to his son, died Sunday morning
DOHA (MNTV) — Qatar’s former Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, who reshaped the small Gulf state into one of the world’s wealthiest and most influential nations, died Sunday morning at the age of 74, the country’s Amiri Diwan announced.
The Amiri Diwan, Qatar’s highest government body, confirmed his death in a statement on X, mourning what it called a great loss to the nation. “May God grant him His mercy and forgiveness,” it said. The statement did not give a cause of death.
Known within Qatar as the “Father Emir,” Sheikh Hamad ruled from 1995 until 2013, an 18-year period that saw the energy-rich country move from a little-known peninsula on the edge of the Arabian Gulf to an assertive player in regional and global affairs.
Born on Jan. 1, 1952, he was educated at Britain’s Royal Military Academy Sandhurst before rising through senior posts in Qatar’s armed forces and government.
Named heir apparent in 1977, he gradually took charge of the country’s day-to-day affairs and came to power in June 1995 after removing his father, Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani, in a bloodless palace takeover.
His tenure was defined by an ambitious expansion of Qatar’s vast natural gas reserves. A surge in liquefied natural gas production and exports turned the country into one of the richest in the world by income per capita and financed a wave of construction, investment and international spending that built the modern Doha skyline.
Sheikh Hamad also pursued an outsized role on the world stage.
In 1996, Qatar launched the satellite broadcaster Al Jazeera, which grew into one of the most widely watched and, at times, most contentious news networks in the Arab world.
His government introduced the country’s first permanent constitution in 2004 and held municipal elections in which women were permitted to vote and stand as candidates.
On the international front, Qatar positioned itself as a diplomatic broker, mediating in conflicts ranging from Sudan’s Darfur region to factional disputes in Lebanon and the rift between the Palestinian movements Hamas and Fatah.
In October 2012, Sheikh Hamad became the first head of state to visit the Gaza Strip after Hamas took control there, pledging hundreds of millions of dollars in projects and investment. Qatar also opened an office for Afghanistan’s Taliban in Doha, which later helped set the stage for talks between the United States and the group.
The country’s independent foreign policy, including its ties to Iran, Hamas and Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, drew criticism from several regional and Western governments.
Under his leadership, Qatar won the right to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, awarded in 2010, becoming the first Arab and Muslim-majority nation to stage football’s showpiece tournament.
Qatari investments abroad expanded during his reign to include landmark holdings such as the Harrods department store in London.
In June 2013, Sheikh Hamad broke with regional custom by voluntarily stepping down and transferring power to his son, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the current Emir.
He largely withdrew from public life afterward but remained an influential figure within the ruling family.
He received a thunderous ovation from Qatari spectators when he appeared at the opening of the 2022 World Cup, long after leaving office.
He is survived by a large family, including Sheikh Tamim, who continues to lead the country his father helped transform.
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