The emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani
| Photo Credit:
B MATHUR
Qatar’s former emir, Sheikh Hamad
bin Khalifa Al-Thani, a sweeping moderniser who seized power in
1995 and broke with tradition to hand it over to his son 18
years later, has died at the age of 74.
Qatar’s top government body, the Amiri Diwan, announced that
Sheikh Hamad had died on Sunday morning. It did not mention the
cause of his death.
The Qatar that the current Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani
inherited was already well on its way to being remade by his
father.
Sheikh Hamad presided over one of the most consequential
periods in the country’s history, driving a rapid transformation
of the tiny desert state that reshaped its economy, global
profile and political ambition.
A forceful, independent-minded personality, he explained in
a speech to mark his abdication in 2013 that he wanted a new
generation “with their innovative ideas and active energies” to
take over.
Sheikh Hamad was the architect of Qatar’s effort to develop
its liquefied natural gas (LNG) infrastructure that allowed it
to get its vast gas reserves to global markets, turning the
state into one of the world’s largest exporters and laying the
foundations for its vast wealth.
He established media network Al Jazeera, which gave Qatar an
outsized voice in Arab politics and projected its influence far
beyond the Gulf. He also oversaw the successful bid to host the
2022 soccer World Cup, a move that firmly put Qatar on the
global stage and accelerated a decade of infrastructure building
that remade the capital Doha.
LAYING GROUNDWORK FOR QATAR’S ROLE AS PEACE BROKER
His foreign policy carved out a role for Qatar as a mediator,
brokering talks in conflicts from Lebanon to Yemen and Darfur
while maintaining ties with the United States — hosting U.S.
Central Command — as well as Iran and groups aligned with it.
That balancing act laid the groundwork for Qatar’s current role
in negotiations between the United States and Iran, and in its
years-long efforts to halt the war in Gaza.
Qatar under Sheikh Hamad played a prominent and
controversial role during the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings, using
its resources and outsized influence to back revolutionary
movements and Islamist groups across the region. While Doha
portrayed its policy as support for popular demands for
political change, critics accused it — and Sheikh Hamad — of
selectively backing factions aligned with its interests,
particularly groups linked to the Muslim Brotherhood.
This put Sheikh Hamad at odds with fellow Gulf monarchs in
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which viewed many of
these movements as a threat to regional stability and
monarchical rule. The activism elevated Qatar’s regional profile
but also deepened tensions with its neighbours and left a legacy
that continues to shape Gulf politics.
COUP AND ATTEMPTED COUNTER-COUP
Sheikh Hamad’s abdication was intended to ensure a smooth
succession and minimise discord within a ruling family with a
long history of palace intrigue.
He himself seized power from his father in a bloodless coup
in 1995. A year later, he survived an attempted counter-coup
that analysts attributed to his father, who had come to power in
similar fashion in 1972 by ousting his cousin.
One of Sheikh Hamad’s most consequential partners in Qatar’s
modernisation drive was one of his wives, Sheikha Moza bint
Nasser, who fostered a public profile that was rare for a Gulf
ruler’s wife. Sheikha Moza’s influence rose alongside his
efforts to reposition the state at home and abroad.
While Sheikh Hamad pushed through political and economic
reforms that reshaped the country’s trajectory, she advanced a
parallel agenda in education, research and social development.
When the emir took power, he was the youngest leader in the
region at 44. He was viewed as less aloof than other Gulf Arab
leaders, and could often be found at his favourite café in
Doha’s souq, talking with the patrons.
Published on July 12, 2026
