In Pictures

Photos: Qatari Father Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani

Sheikh Hamad, who ruled Qatar from 1995 to 2013 and stepped aside to make his son Sheikh Tamim emir, dies aged 74.

Former emir of Qatar Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani [Handout/The Amiri Diwan] — Former Emir of Qatar Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani [Handout/Amiri Diwan]

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.

Former Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani — Sheikh Hamad addresses the first meeting of his cabinet in Doha, Qatar, on October 30, 1996. [Reuters]

Qatar — 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]

Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani — 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]

Qatar Obit Sheikh Hamad — 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]

Former Emir of Qatar Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani — Sheikh Hamad ruled Qatar for 18 years, overseeing tremendous economic growth and Qatar's increasing international importance. [Handout/Amiri Diwan]