DOHA, Qatar — Qatar on Sunday announced three days of national mourning after the former Emir Khalifa bin Hamad Al-Thani, who was deposed by his son in a bloodless palace coup, died aged 84.
The former ruler died on Sunday, according to an official statement from the royal palace.
He was the grandfather of the current Emir, Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani.
“His highness father Emir Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad Al-Thani passed away on the evening of Sunday October 23, 2016, at the age of 84 years,” read the official statement.
“His highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani has ordered public mourning across the country for three days.”
Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition
by email and never miss our top stories
By signing up, you agree to the
terms
No further details were given about the circumstances of his death.
Khalifa ruled Qatar from 1972 until 1995, when he was deposed by his son Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani in a bloodless coup while on holiday in Switzerland.
He was one of the first rulers of Qatar after it gained independence from Britain in 1971.
During his time as leader, he oversaw the beginnings of the transformation of modern-day Qatar into an energy-rich country.
He was also seen as a founding father of the Gulf Cooperation Council, the political and economic union incorporating six states in the region, including Qatar.
After being removed from power, the former emir lived in France.
He returned to Qatar in 2004.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
