Former Qatari emir Sheikh Hamad dies at 74

Former Qatari emir Sheikh Hamad dies at 74 Submitted by MEE and agencies on Sun, 07/12/2026 - 09:27 His reign saw the launch of Al Jazeera and Qatar's emergence as a regional power Qatar’s former emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani attends the opening of the Arab League summit in Doha, 26 March 2013 (Karim Sahib/AFP) Off Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the former emir who transformed Qatar from a small Gulf state into a major player in global diplomacy, energy and media, has died at the age of 74, the country