Qatar Obit Sheikh Hamad
In this picture released by the Qatar Amiri Diwan media office, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani helps carry the body of his father, Qatar's former ruler Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, with other mourners for a funeral prayer at the Mohammed bin Abdulwahab Mosque in Doha, Qatar, Sunday, July 12, 2026.
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Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani has died at age 74. The state-run Qatar News Agency reported his death without offering a cause. During his rule of Qatar, he transformed the tiny Persian Gulf nation into a global player in diplomacy, media and investment and then shattered tradition by voluntarily turning over power to his son. Sheikh Hamad stepped down in June 2013 after 18 years as emir. He was the architect of energy-rich Qatar’s stunning ambitions that turned it from a backwater into an international crossroads in less than a generation.
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