Zubarah Fort, Zubarah

History of Qatar

August 8th 1974: Emir of Qatar with Prime Minister Mr. Harold Wilson at 10 Downing Street.

More About Qatar

Qatar is one of the fastest growing countries in the world. In 1946 It was home to only 7,000 people with an economy based on pearl fishing. Today, over 2.5 million people from over 60 countries live in Qatar. Since 2000, Qatar’s population has risen by over 2 million. From being a low-income country in the 1940s, Qatar is today boasts one of the highest incomes per head in the world.

This dramatic transformation was made possible by Doha’s successful development of its natural resources and its emergence in the mid-1990s as one of the world’s leading exporters of liquefied natural gas.

Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani Museum

Brief History of Qatar

Qatar has a long and complex history that stretches back thousands of years. From its origins as a small fishing and pearling community, Qatar has experienced significant changes which have converted it from a small obscure peninsula in to a key player regionally and on the global stage.

Pre-historic and Ancient Times

Qatar’s history dates back to the Neolithic period when the first evidence of human habitation suggests the earliest residents of Qatar were the Al-Ma’adeed, a tribe of nomadic herders and fishers who lived in the region. Over time, Qatar became a centre of trade and commerce, with a thriving pearling industry. The pearls of Qatar were highly prized and were traded throughout the Arabian Gulf region and beyond.

Qatar in the Islamic Era

Qatar played a significant role in the Islamic era, with the arrival of Islam in the 7th century AD. The first converts to Islam in Qatar were members of the Al-Ma’adeed tribe, who established the first mosque in the country.

In the following centuries, Qatar became a centre of Islamic learning. In the 19th century, Qatar also became a centre of the Wahhabi movement, which sought to purify and reform Islam.

Islamic Museum tapestries

Katara Towers, Qatar

Qatar in the Modern Era

Qatar became a British protectorate on 3 November 1916, when the United Kingdom signed a treaty with Sheikh Abdullah bin Jassim Al Thani to bring Qatar under its Trucial System of Administration. Under the Treaty the British guaranteed the protection of Qatar from aggression by sea and provide its ‘good offices’ in the event of an attack by land. On 5 May 1935, while agreeing an oil concession with the British oil company, the Anglo-Persian Oil Company, Abdullah signed another treaty with the British government which granted Qatar protection against internal and external threats. Oil reserves were first discovered in 1939.

Qatar began to modernize and industrialize, with the discovery of oil and natural gas reserves in the 1940s. The hydrocarbon sector quickly became the mainstay of the Qatari economy. In the 1990s Qatar emerged as a globally significant supplier of liquefied natural gas which made it one of the wealthiest countries in the world.

In recent years, Qatar has made significant progress in diversifying its economy and building a strong financial sector. The country has invested heavily in infrastructure, education, and healthcare.