History Of Qatar

Archaeological research has shown that the peninsular of Qatar has been inhabited since the stone age. in the ancient world Qatar became an important part of the Persian empire, when its position on the Persian Gulf facilitated its role as a trading nation connecting Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley. In later times, as the world became more connected through sea travel, it served to connect trade routes between east and west.

Qatar was dominated for thousands of years by the Persians, then by the Ottoman turks, and finally by the British, before becoming an independent state in 1971. Unlike the surrounding emirates, Qatar chose to become wholly independent, rather than becoming a part of either the United Arab Emirates, or Saudi Arabia.

For much of Qatar's history it played host to bedouin tribes, particularly those of Al Khalifa (who later ruled Bahrain) and Al Saud (who went on to rule Saudi Arabia). The tribes moved along the coast and fought each other over fishing and pearling rights.

During the 19th century the Bahraini Al Khalifas reigned over the peninsula, and launched an offensive to quell a rebel Qatari uprising by sending a massive naval force to Wakrah. The British diplomatic response to this was to ask to negotiate with a representative from Qatar. This act led to a recognition of Qatar's status as being separate from that of Bahrain, and eventually led to the founding of the state of Qatar.

The Qataris chose a long-time citizen and entrepreneur, Mohammed bin Thani to negotiate on their behalf. Prior to this, the Al Thani clan had played little part in the politics of the region, but their involvement in the negotiations led to the independence of Qatar and saw them become rulers of the country to the present day.

In 1916 Qatar became a British protectorate, and this arrangement lasted until 1971, at which time Qatar became an independent sovereign state. Since 1995, Emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani has ruled Qatar. Under his reign, Qatar has experienced an unprecidented period of liberalisation and modernisation. Qatar now ranks as the eleventh richest country in the world per capita, and hosted the 15th Asian Games in 2006.