Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Emir Of Qatar who ruled from June 1995, has died at 74, and Qatar announced several days of public mourning. Funeral prayers will be held on Sunday evening, with government offices and public institutions shut and flags flown at half mast.
The Bureau of the Emir said: “The Bureau of the Emir mourns the great loss to the nation of the late, may God have mercy on him.” The statement placed the death at the center of a national pause that will run after Sunday, giving People in Qatar an immediate set of mourning measures rather than a symbolic tribute alone.
Qatar mourning measures
Several days of public mourning will follow across Qatar, and the shutdown of government offices and public institutions sets the pace for daily life over that period. For readers inside Qatar, the practical change is simple: public institutions will not operate normally while the country marks the loss.
Sheikh Hamad took power from his father in June 1995 in a bloodless coup while Sheikh Khalifa was abroad. He is credited with transforming Qatar’s economy into a wealthy global powerhouse, and that record sits alongside the state’s formal mourning as the country weighs his legacy.
Narendra Modi tribute
Narendra Modi called Sheikh Hamad “A visionary leader who led Qatar to great levels of development and prosperity.” Modi also said: “We remember him also as a true friend whom I had the honour of meeting during my last visit to Qatar in February 2024.”
King Charles and Queen Camilla said Sheikh Hamad had “dedicated many years of distinguished service to Qatar” and that his “leadership, vision and commitment to the welfare of the Qatari people were widely admired, both within Qatar and around the world.” India declared a day of national mourning and said all entertainment events would be cancelled during the period.
Qatar legacy and controversy
His reign included the launch of Al Jazeera in 1996 and the founding of the Qatar Investment Authority, which later invested in Harrods and Paris Saint-Germain. He also faced controversy over Qatar’s World Cup bid in 2010, a reminder that his record combines state-building with disputed choices that drew outside scrutiny.
Funeral prayers on Sunday evening will draw the immediate formal response, and the mourning period that follows will keep Qatar in a national pause while public institutions remain shut. The source does not say what caused Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani’s death.
