Get you up to speed: Photos: Qatari Father Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani

Qatari Father Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani has died at the age of 74, as confirmed by the Amiri Diwan. He passed away in the morning, with the emir’s office expressing deep mourning for the loss.

The funeral arrangements for Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani will be announced by the Amiri Diwan in the coming days. Sheikh Hamad served as Qatar’s ruler from 1995 until his abdication in 2013, during which time the country’s economy diversified significantly, primarily through investments in the energy sector.

The Amiri Diwan announced the death of Qatari Father Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, aged 74, calling it a “great loss to the nation.” Memorial services and a period of national mourning are anticipated, with official ceremonies expected to be scheduled in the coming days to honour his contributions to Qatar.

What remains unclear — The cause of Sheikh Hamad’s death has not been disclosed.

Qatari Father Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani dies at 74

Published On 12 Jul 202612 Jul 2026

Qatari Father Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani has died at the age of 74, the Amiri Diwan has announced.

“With hearts steadfast in faith in God’s decree and destiny, the Amiri Diwan mourns the great loss to the nation of the late – may God have mercy on him – His Highness the Father Amir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, who passed away this morning,” the emir’s office said in a statement on Sunday.

Sheikh Hamad, who ruled Qatar from 1995 to 2013, was a key architect of the energy-rich Gulf state’s rapid development.

During his reign, Qatar underwent significant economic, social and cultural changes that strengthened its standing in the international community.

Sheikh Hamad oversaw major economic investments and forged wide-ranging international partnerships as Qatar became the world’s largest exporter of liquefied natural gas.

In 2013, he handed power to his son, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who was then 33, in a rare abdication by a hereditary Gulf Arab ruler.

Sheikh Hamad addresses the first meeting of his cabinet in Doha, Qatar, on October 30, 1996. [Reuters]Sheikh Hamad meets with US President George W Bush at the White House in Washington, DC, on May 8, 2003, seven weeks after the Iraq War began. [Stephen J Boitano/LightRocket via Getty Images]Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono drives Sheikh Hamad and his wife Sheikha Moza bint Nasser during a visit to Jakarta on May 19, 2009. [Adek Berry/AFP]Sheikh Hamad meets Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva during a meeting on January 20, 2010, at Itamaraty Palace in Brasilia. [Handout via AFP]Sheikh Hamad, accompanied by Lebanese President Michel Suleiman, just right of the emir, tours reconstruction efforts partially funded by Qatar on July 31, 2010, in the southern Lebanese town of Bint Jbeil, which witnessed some of the fiercest fighting in the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah. [Mahmud Zayat/AFP]Sheikh Hamad and Queen Elizabeth II make their way to Windsor Castle on October 26, 2010, in Windsor, England. [Dan Kitwood/WPA Pool via Getty Images]Sheikh Hamad addresses the Millennium Development Goals Summit at UN headquarters in New York on September 20, 2010, to support the UN’s drive to reduce poverty, hunger and disease and improve education and equality. [Emmanuel Dunand/AFP]German Chancellor Angela Merkel, centre, escorts Sheikh Hamad and Sheikha Moza during a visit to Berlin on September 29, 2010. [Johannes Eisele/AFP]Sheikh Hamad raises the World Cup trophy with Sheikha Moza after the announcement on December 2, 2010, at FIFA headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland, that Qatar would host the 2022 World Cup. [Philippe Desmazes/AFP]Sheikh Hamad and Sheikha Moza wave from a balcony of the Campidoglio, Rome’s city hall, with Rome Mayor Gianni Alemanno and his wife, Isabella Rauti, during a visit on April 17, 2012. [Alberto Pizzoli/AFP]Sheikh Hamad meets French President Francois Hollande to discuss the situation in Syria during the second year of what would be a 14-year war on August 22, 2012, at the Elysee Palace in Paris. [John van Hasselt/Corbis via Getty Images]Sheikh Hamad meets UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon during the UN General Assembly on September 25, 2012, at UN headquarters in New York. [Stan Honda/AFP]Sheikh Hamad greets Palestinians as he arrives for a cornerstone-laying ceremony of a Qatari-funded rehabilitation centre on October 23, 2012, in Gaza City, Gaza. [Hatem Moussa-Pool/Getty Images]Sheikh Hamad meets US President Barack Obama in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on April 23, 2013. [Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP]Sheikh Hamad walks with a security team as he arrives to attend National Day celebrations in Doha, Qatar, on December 18, 2012. [Fadi Al-Assaad/Reuters]Sheikh Hamad ruled Qatar for 18 years, overseeing tremendous economic growth and Qatar’s increasing international importance. [Handout/Amiri Diwan]