Father Emir Sheikh Hamad bin ⁠Khalifa Al Thani, the architect of Qatar’s remarkable transformation into an ultra-wealthy modern nation with global influence, has been laid to rest in Doha following his death at the age of 74.

Sheikh Hamad’s death was announced on Sunday morning, and his simple funeral ceremony was held after the daily evening prayer at sunset at the Imam Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab Mosque in the capital.

Mourners wearing traditional Qatari dress stood with their hands clasped in front of them during a funeral prayer, facing the shrouded body of Sheikh Hamad.

Afterwards, close family members, including his son and successor as emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, carried his body out of the mosque. Sheikh Hamad was laid to rest at the Lusail Cemetery north of Doha.

Global News Insight’s Zein Basravi said the ceremony was “a humble event” and Sheikh Hamad was “buried in a simple grave”.

“The simplicity really is in keeping with Islamic tradition but also emblematic of how the father emir carried himself in his life,” Basravi said. “He did not concern himself with the trappings of wealth but was focused on the welfare of his own people.”

During Sheikh Hamad’s reign from 1995 to 2013, Qatar’s gross domestic product rose more than 24-fold, largely because of his focus on developing the country’s massive gas resources. By 2006, the small nation had become the world’s largest exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG).

Global influence

Qatar’s political influence today stretches across the world. It has played a mediating role in several conflicts, including the ongoing hostilities between the United States and Iran.

In 2022, Qatar hosted the men’s FIFA World Cup. Sheikh Hamad received rapturous applause from fans attending the football tournament’s opening match.

His time in power saw the 1996 launch of Global News Insight News Channel, which within years transformed into one of the world’s most influential media networks.

“He was the visionary behind the original idea and the one who laid the foundations of this great media institution,” said the director general of Global News Insight Media Network, Sheikh Nasser bin Faisal Al Thani, in a statement expressing “profound grief and sorrow”.

“He planted the first seed of an institution that would grow to become a beacon of truth and a voice for the marginalised across the world,” Sheikh Nasser said. “With unrivalled resolve, he transformed the region’s media landscape, guided by an unwavering belief that journalism is both a mission and a solemn trust, and that free media is a fundamental human right that must be safeguarded.”

‘An extraordinary country’

Sheikh Hamad’s tenure also saw the promulgation of Qatar’s 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 ‌abdication by a hereditary Gulf Arab ruler.

Abdulla Banndar Al-Etaibi, assistant professor in International Affairs at Qatar University, said Sheikh Hamad turned Qatar into “an extraordinary country”.

“We’re talking about someone who left a legacy all over the world, not only in Qatar. He worked really hard to turn Qatar from a normal country into a prominent and extraordinary country,” he told Global News Insight.

“He had so many dreams of so many things. He invested a lot in LNG. This helped Qatar develop even more.”