{"id":216806,"date":"2026-07-12T10:51:59","date_gmt":"2026-07-12T10:51:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/former-emir-of-qatar-sheikh-hamad-bin-khalifa-al-thani-dies-aged-74-al-jazeera\/"},"modified":"2026-07-12T10:51:59","modified_gmt":"2026-07-12T10:51:59","slug":"former-emir-of-qatar-sheikh-hamad-bin-khalifa-al-thani-dies-aged-74-al-jazeera","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/former-emir-of-qatar-sheikh-hamad-bin-khalifa-al-thani-dies-aged-74-al-jazeera\/","title":{"rendered":"Former Emir of Qatar Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani dies aged 74 – Al Jazeera"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sheikh Hamad, who ruled Qatar from 1995 to 2013, was a key architect of the energy-rich Gulf country\u2019s development.<\/em>
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\u2060The Father Emir of Qatar, \u2060Sheikh Hamad bin \u2060Khalifa Al Thani, \u200chas died at the age of \u206074, says the Amiri \u2060Diwan.
\u201cWith hearts steadfast in faith in God\u2019s decree and destiny, the Amiri Diwan mourns the great loss to the nation of the late \u2013 may God have mercy on him \u2013 His Highness the Father Amir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, who passed away this morning,\u201d the Amiri Diwan said in a statement on Sunday.<\/p>\n

Qatar announced a four-day period of public mourning starting Monday, with work suspended at government agencies and public bodies and flags to be lowered to half-mast.
Sheikh Hamad<\/a>, who ruled Qatar from 1995 to 2013, was a key architect of the energy-rich country\u2019s development.
During his reign, the nation saw economic, social and cultural development that bolstered its status in the international community.
Sheikh Hamad oversaw major economic investment and fostered wide-ranging international partnerships as the country became the world\u2019s largest exporter of liquefied natural gas.
Qatar\u2019s political influence today stretches across many parts of the world including North Africa, the Middle East and Asia. In 2022, Qatar hosted the men\u2019s FIFA World Cup, the world\u2019s most-watched football tournament. Sheikh Hamad received rapturous applause from fans attending its opening match.
His time in power saw the launch of Al Jazeera News Channel in 1996 which within years transformed into one of the world\u2019s most influential media networks.
Sheikh Hamad\u2019s tenure also saw the promulgation of Qatar\u2019s first permanent constitution in 2004 and the introduction of municipal elections, in which women were allowed to vote and stand as candidates.
In 2013, he handed over power to his son and heir apparent, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who was then 33, in a rare \u200cabdication by a hereditary Gulf Arab ruler.
Abdulla Banndar el Etaibi, Assistant Professor in International Affairs at Qatar University, said Sheikh Hamad turned Qatar into an \u201cextraordinary country\u201d.
\u201cWe\u2019re talking about someone who left a legacy all over the world, not only on Qatar. He worked really hard to turn Qatar from a normal country into a prominent and extraordinary country,\u201d he told Al Jazeera.
\u201cHe had so many dreams of so many things. He invested a lot in LNG. This helped Qatar develop even more.\u201d
Several world leaders offered their condolences for the death of Sheikh Hamad.
\u201cDeepest condolences and sympathies to the sisterly State of Qatar, to its Amir, government, and people, on the passing of the late, by God\u2019s permission, His Highness the Father Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani,\u201d Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi wrote on X.<\/p>\n

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari expressed \u201cdeep grief\u201d over the passing of Sheikh Hamad.
\u201cThe President extended his heartfelt condolences to His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Government and the brotherly people of Qatar on this sad occasion. He paid tribute to the late Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani\u2019s visionary leadership and his valuable contributions to the progress and development of Qatar, as well as to regional peace and cooperation,\u201d the president\u2019s office said in a statement.
United Arab Emirates President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan also offered his sympathies.
\u201cI extend my sincere condolences and sympathy to my brother @TamimBinHamad and his family on the passing of his father, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al \u2060Thani. May God grant him mercy, rest his soul in eternal peace, and bring comfort to his family during this difficult time,\u201d he wrote on X.<\/p>\n

Follow Al Jazeera English:<\/p>\n

source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sheikh Hamad, who ruled Qatar from 1995 to 2013, was a key architect of the energy-rich Gulf country\u2019s development.SaveShare\u2060The Father Emir of Qatar, \u2060Sheikh Hamad bin \u2060Khalifa Al Thani, \u200chas died at the age of \u206074, says the Amiri \u2060Diwan.\u201cWith hearts steadfast in faith in God\u2019s decree and destiny, the Amiri Diwan mourns the great […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":216807,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-216806","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-world","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/216806","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=216806"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/216806\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/216807"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=216806"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=216806"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=216806"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}