Are you travelling to Qatar soon or moving there for a while? Read along a number of brief historical facts about this state located in the Arabian Gulf.
- The first human inhabitation of Qatar dates back to the 4th century BC, according to historic evidence uncovered by a Danish archaeological expedition in 1961. Several expeditions between 1965 and 1976 unearthed artefacts such as rock inscriptions and carvings, flint spearheads, and even pottery.
- Until an insurgence in 1867, Qatar was governed by local sheikhs and did not have a local authority being a dependency of Bahrain.
- To maintain peace in the Arabian Peninsula, the British ensured a peace treaty was signed between Qatar and Bahrain, acknowledging as a ruler of Qatar the head of a renowned Qatari family, Muhammad Ibn Thani al-Thani.
- After a brief period under the sovereignty of the Ottomans, Qatar signed a treaty with Britain in 1913 renouncing their autonomy in foreign affairs in exchange for military protection.
- Before 1939, Qatar wasn’t a rich country as it is today and it mainly relied on pearl production and fishing as its major revenue sources.
- The discovery of oil and gas in 1939 was a major milestone for the country and it turned it into an influential and rich state.
- Qatar was declared an independent Arab state in April of 1970, two years after the British withdrew their military commitments.
- In 1995, Amir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani became the ruling emir after deposing his father, which was a major development for the state’s economy and helped it move into a powerful position as one of the highest per capita incomes in the world.
- Sheikh Tamim bin Khalifa Al Thani was handed the power by his father Amir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani in 2013 at the age of 33.
Keep checking our blog for other interesting facts about Qatar and other various topics.
