According to some sources, the Qatar peninsula has been inhabited for about 50,000 years. Archaeological finds reveal a connection to the Al Ubaid culture (Mesopotamia, 6000-4000 BC). In the 5th century, the Greek geographer Ptolemy mentioned “Qatra” in his maps, which is believed to correspond to the present-day Al Zubara, a town in Qatar that was considered one of the most important ports in the Gulf in ancient times. With the spread of Islam in the Arabian Peninsula and throughout the Gulf, Qatar also became part of the Caliphate of Baghdad, the main center of Islamic culture and civilization.
In the following centuries, the Qatari peninsula continued to be a crossroads of great powers. The ancestors of the current ruling family, the Al Thani, arrived in Qatar in 1750 from Najd in Saudi Arabia and developed fishing, pearl diving, date palm cultivation, and trade. The towns of Al Zubarah and Al Khor, in particular, became important and bustling centers for the pearl trade. Al Bida (now Doha) became the capital of the country, and the leader of the Al Thani family, Sheikh Mohammed, claimed his position as Emir, effectively establishing the emirate of Qatar.
In 1867, the Emir signed a treaty with the British to protect Qatar from the expansionist ambitions of neighboring Bahrain, similar to other Gulf states. Sheikh Khassim signed another protection treaty with the Turks in 1872, who maintained a military contingent in Doha until 1915.
In 1935, an oil concession was granted to the Qatar Petroleum Company, part of the Iraq Petroleum Company, owned by an Anglo-Dutch-French-American consortium. The first crude oil exports began in 1949. In the 1950s and especially the 1960s, thanks to oil revenues, prosperity and social progress began to flourish, and there was significant immigration. Thus began the modern history of the country.
When in 1968 the British government announced a policy of military disengagement from the Gulf states, Qatar initially joined the proposal from other sheikhdoms in the area (the current United Arab Emirates and Bahrain) to establish a union of Arab Emirates; however, like Bahrain, it became an independent state on September 3rd, 1971.
In June 1995, Emir Sheikh Khalifa, a traditionalist and pro-Saudi, was deposed by his son Hamad in a bloodless coup. From 1996 to 2013, Emir Hamad gained broad support both domestically and internationally, significantly accelerating the process of modernization and economic diversification, while promoting some political reform initiatives.
Under Sheikh Hamad’s leadership, Qatar embarked on a path of political liberalization and economic modernization. In April 2003, a referendum approved the first constitutional text in the country’s history, which came into effect in 2005. The new constitution provided for the election of a representative assembly and further extensions of civil and political rights. The media and broadcasting sector benefited from greater freedom, allowing satellite television network Al-Jazeera to become the voice of the deeper currents in the Arab world.
On June 25th, 2013, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa announced his abdication in a televised speech, transferring all power to his son and heir Tamim (who had already been quite present in public life and the management of current affairs in the emirate). He concurrently implemented a significant reshuffle in top government positions, notably appointing Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani as the new Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, replacing Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabor Al Thani (who also held the Foreign Minister position, now assigned to “technocrat” Khaled bin Mohammed Al Attiyah), a figure linked to the 1995 transition and the subsequent phase of growth and development of the emirate. The transfer of power and the government reshuffle occurred at a time when the country had progressively achieved all the priority objectives set since Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa ascended the throne in the economic sector and was preparing to open a new phase, perfectly in continuity with the past, where the priority — at least judging by the first public speech delivered by Emir Tamim bin Hamad on the occasion of the autumn reopening of the Majlis As-Shura — would be the consolidation of the Country’s internal structure.
Among the significant events in the last decade of Qatar’s history is undoubtedly the ascension to the throne of the current Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, which occurred on June 25th, 2013. At that time, his predecessor Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al Thani announced his intention to abdicate in favor of his son, the legitimate successor since August 5th, 2003, when his older brother Jasim renounced his claim to the title.
In recent history, a particularly important event was the economic and diplomatic blockade imposed on Qatar in 2017. On June 5th of that year, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain announced an embargo against Qatar, leading to the severing of diplomatic relations and the closure of land, air, and maritime borders, as well as the expulsion of all Qatari citizens residing in the aforementioned countries. The decision by the so-called “quartet” stemmed from Qatar’s refusal to comply with an ultimatum containing thirteen demands to which Qatar would have had to align to end the blockade.
However, due to the good relations maintained with various countries and the substantial availability of economic resources, Qatar successfully resisted the complications arising from the embargo. Due to the substantial ineffectiveness of the measures adopted by the quartet, on January 5th, 2021, at the 41st summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) held in the Saudi city of Al Ula, the end of the embargo against Qatar was ratified. The signing of this agreement was named the “Al Ula declaration,” through which the leaders of the six Countries in the organization (Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar) renewed their commitment to maintaining balance and mutual cooperation in the region.
Evidence of the country’s success following the embargo was the recent FIFA World Cup held from November 20 to December 18, 2022, awarded to the country by the International Football Federation (FIFA) chaired by Sepp Blatter on December 2nd, 2010. This event represented a unique milestone in the history of the competition, being the first World Cup hosted by an Arab country and taking place in the autumn for climatic reasons. Such a significant achievement aligns with a series of successes in hosting sporting events in Qatar, including the FIFA Club World Cup 2020, the Qatar Grand Prix, the Arab Cup 2021, and the Asian Cup 2023.
In 2017, Qatar also launched an ambitious project to exploit the largest natural gas field in the world, the North Field, involving various foreign companies such as ENI, TotalEnergies, ExxonMobil, Shell, and ConocoPhillips. Through this project, Qatar Energy plans to increase gas extraction capacity by 43% by 2025 and 64% by 2027, thereby becoming the world’s leading exporter of liquefied natural gas.
Thanks to the major events hosted and a particularly dynamic foreign policy, Qatar has grown significantly as an important political and economic actor in the region, especially after the rise to power of Father Emir, Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, in 1995, who launched an ambitious modernization and development plan for the Country. Negotiations and mediations regarding various conflicts have also taken place in Doha, including those in Lebanon, Yemen, Darfur, Eritrea, Kenya, Somalia, Chad, and Afghanistan, contributing to bringing Qatar to the forefront of regional and international diplomacy.
After October 7th, 2023, with the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas conflict, Qatar initiated mediation talks with the parties involved and in coordination with the United States and Egypt, with the aim of promoting a mediated solution to the crisis as much as possible. Qatar is also active in mediating between Russia and Ukraine for the release of minors and the reunification of both Ukrainian and Russian families.