Qatar's former emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani dies at 74
Qatar's former emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, who ruled the country from 1995 to 2013 and shaped it into a global power, has died at the age of 74. President Erdogan offered his condolences.
The Qatari government announced on July 12 the death of former emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani at the age of 74, as AP and Daily Sabah reported. Hamad had seized power in 1995 in a bloodless palace coup and ruled Qatar until abdicating in favor of his son in 2013. During that time he built the small gas-rich Gulf emirate, with its Al Jazeera broadcaster and active mediation diplomacy, into a globally influential player. Turkish President Erdogan offered his condolences, according to Daily Sabah, and paid tribute to the close partnership. The range of sources is sparse and largely laudatory, with critical assessments of his role, for instance in regional conflicts, absent on this day.