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Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa, former emir of Qatar, dies
Qatar’s former Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani has died at the age of 74, the Amiri Diwan said in a statement on Sunday.
The Amiri Diwan announced Sheikh Hamad died Sunday morning, without giving a cause of death, in a statement on X.
Sheikh Hamad, often known as the Father Emir, ruled Qatar from 1995 to 2013 after seizing power in a bloodless palace coup. He later went down in history when he voluntarily abdicated in favour of his son, the present Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
Sheikh Hamad has been in power for nearly two decades and has watched over the transformation of Qatar from a relatively small Gulf state into one of the wealthiest and most prominent countries in the world, thanks partly to its huge natural gas reserves.