Qatar’s former emir, who revolutionised Qatar out of its Bedouin background to a regional powerhouse, has died at the age of 74, the nation’s Amiri Diwan, its top government body, said on Sunday.
– Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani ruled Qatar from 1995 to 2013, before abdicating to his son Sheikh Tamim, the current leader of the gas-rich Gulf country.
– “The Amiri Diwan announced the death of HH the Father Amir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani on Sunday morning. May Allah have mercy on his soul and grant him the best reward for what he achieved for his homeland and nation,” the Diwan said.
– Sheikh Hamad had elevated Qatar’s global profile through the development of the Al Jazeera television network, as well as its successful bid to host the 2022 soccer World Cup tournament.
– The U.S.-allied state is small, with more than 2.5 million people, but is the world’s largest exporter of liquefied natural gas, a global investment powerhouse and heavy hitter in Middle East diplomacy and international media.
– Sheikh Hamad handed power to his son, the then crown prince, in June 2013 in a rare abdication by a hereditary Gulf Arab ruler, to try to ensure a smooth succession. He himself had overthrown his father in a bloodless coup in 1995.