Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani is dead. The former Emir of Qatar died at age 74. He ruled the country for almost 20 years. He was in power from 1995 until 2013. Many people call him the father of the nation. He made the small country a rich state.
Qatar became very modern under his rule. He built up the production of Erd-Gas a lot. Today Qatar is one of the biggest gas exporters. The country became very wealthy because of this. He also started the famous Nachrichten-Sender Al Jazeera. This was in the year 1996.
The Emir brought big events to Qatar. An example is the football world cup in 2022. He also started important rules. Women could vote for the first time. In 2013 he gave away his power voluntarily. He gave the office to his son Tamim. This is very rare in this region.
Many politicians from other countries send condolences now. They praise his work for the country. He leaves behind 3 wives and 24 children. Qatar was a British protected area before. The country is independent since 1971.
