Former Qatar emir Sheikh Hamad Al Thani dies at 74

Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the former Emir of Qatar who transformed his nation into a global diplomatic and economic powerhouse, died on Sunday, July 12, 2026. He was 74. The Amiri Diwan, the nation's top administrative body, announced his death in a statement, offering no cause.

Sheikh Hamad ruled Qatar from 1995 until June 2013, when he voluntarily abdicated in favor of his son, the current Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. That peaceful transfer of power was a rare event in the Gulf region, where leadership changes typically occur through death or overthrow. Sheikh Hamad himself had come to power in 1995 by deposing his own father, Sheikh Khalifa, in a bloodless palace coup.

His 18-year reign was a period of profound transformation for the energy-rich nation. He is widely credited with architecting Qatar's rise from a relative backwater to an international crossroads. Under his leadership, Qatar leveraged its vast natural gas wealth to become the world's largest exporter of liquefied natural gas and a major global investor, with holdings like the Harrods department store in London.

Sheikh Hamad also aggressively pursued international influence through media and...