Shaikh Ahmad and his Political Role in Qatar1

Shaikh Ahmad bin Ali bin Abdulla Al Thani and his Political Role in Qatar

Wassen Mohammad, AlJohara Al-Thani, Shaikha Al-Khulaifi201205555, 201107275, 201202493

Qatar UniversityHistory of Qatar 121Dr. Ahmed Abushouk

Shaikh Ahmad bin Ali bin Abdullah Al Thani (1920-1977)

A little background information:Shaikh Ahmad bin Ali Al Thani, the second son of Shaikh Ali bin Abdullah Al Thani, was born in the capital city of Qatar, Al Doha in the year 1920. Shaikh Ahmad had a total of 12 siblings, of which 9 of them were brothers and 3 were sisters. He is regarded as the eighth emir of Qatar. His father, Shaikh Ali bin Abdulla Al Thani, was the one who was ruling before him. Towards the end of Shaikh Alis rule, he became quite incompetent because of his old age. On the 24th of October 1960, Shaikh Ahmad succeeded his father in becoming the ruler of Qatar after his father stepped down and relinquished the throne to him. During this date, Shaikh Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani was appointed as the Heir Apparent and Deputy Ruler. Shaikh Ahmad was the last to rule during the time in which Qatar was still dependent and connected to Great Britain. This is until the 3rd of September 1971, when Qatar ended the Anglo-Qatari Treaty that was essentially made back in 1916. In the year 1972, on the 22nd of February, his cousin took over the throne and Shaikh Ahmad left to live in Dubaian emirate of the United Arab Emiratesuntil 1977, the year in which he died. During his ruling over Qatar, Shaikh Ahmad witnessed many developments and changes within the country because of the discovery of quite a large number of oil fields, and Qatars gaining of its independence.

Shaikh Ahmad bin Ali Al Thani and the Development of Qatar:The years in which Shaikh Ahmad ruled Qatar; there were some drastic changes and transformations that the country went through. To begin with, the discovery of oil (which will be discussed later in detail) was one of the major causes to why Qatar was being lifted upwards, economically speaking. Because of this significant oil discovery, Qatar has turned from an economy based on pearl fishing and its society consisting mostly of Bedouins, to a more civilized society that is more modernized and developed. These changes that were essentially economical, changed the lifestyle of the people by increasing their quality of life, for instance. Not only that, but these changes also resulted in Qatar being more politically recognized and also more powerful in general. Many other things took place during that time of Shaikh Ahmad, for example, an area was designated for a school to be built upon, and a well-constructed road was built on Al-Doha Corniche. There was also another area specifically selected to become a port that included customs building.Moreover, with this vast development taking place, Qatar took a big step towards creating a new system of management, for Shaikh Khalifa was appointed as the Minister of Finance, as well as the creation of the General Administration of Finance to deal with all issues concerning finance and administration in the country. And in the year 1967, the creation of creation of Human Resources took place, and this is when Qatar gradually started moving towards making its final steps towards its independence. After the British Labor Party declared the fact that it was leaving the east of the Suez Canal, it terminated its responsibilities of protection with the Gulf leaders. These Gulf leaders failed in creating a confederationist union of the nine gulf emirates, and during that time Qatar made its own Council of Ministers. Furthermore, on the 28th of May in 1970, the Constitution was proclaimed and the Council of Ministers was formed.Since the 1916 Anglo-Qatari treaty, Britain always had a strong hold over Qatar. Even in the early stages of the time when Shaikh Ahmad was ruling, Britain still had a lot of influence on what was happening in Qatar. Britain had always involved itself in Qatars affairs, whether they were economic, social or political. However, this did not last for long during Shaikh Ahmads reign for he was the last Shaikh to rule through those times when Qatar was dependent of Britain. The treaty of 1916 was finally abolished in the year 1971. The declaration of Qatars independence was witness by many, and was signed by Shaikh Ahmad on the 3rd of September that year, in his villa in Geneva, Switzerland.This independence took place during that time for a number of reasons. To begin with, after the Second World War, the control that Britain had over the Gulf area was decreasing gradually. In addition to their loss of control over the Gulf, certain countries that were considered important regarding their colonization gained their independence. These countries were India and Pakistan, and they gained their independence in the year 1947. In addition to that, in 1967 Britain closed its base from the Gulf of Eden and in 1971 Britain withdrew its forces from Qatar.

Shaikh Ahmad bin Ali Al Thani and the Discovery of Oil:Shaikh Ahmads rule observed the development of many economic activities in the country as the product of the unearthing of an abundant amount of oil fields in Qatar. Shaikh Ahmad made sure the work of his predecessors did not go to waste. He might have not known the significance of oil at the time, though he was also bound by the terms of the treaty his grandfather signed which is why their profits was a fraction of what it should have been.No time was wasted after the delay the Second World War brought to the production of oil. The first oil field to be revealed was in Al-Idd Al-Sharqi, this transpired in 1960. Following that, the unearthing of the Maydan Mahzam field ensued, then the Abu Al-Hananie field. The latter is the leading in size of production and reservoir. A bigger field was then discovered at Maydan Mahzam in 1963, and in 1965 an oil station was created on the Island of Halul. Investigation then started in 1965 on the Bul Hannien area, with hopes of finding more fields and production then took off in 1977.The yields of these fields were conveyed to the neighboring island of Halul where they were exported. Qatars production then rocketed in 1965 to 233,000 barrels a day. Qatar Oil Limited and Qatar Shell Limited then abandoned vast areas of the oil fields in 1970, forcing the government to search for other plants. Afterwards, Winter Shell Corporation signed up for offshore exploration, whereas Qatar-Japan Oil Company agreed to do some onshore investigation. When adjustments were made to the borders between Qatar and Abu Dhabi Emirate, some cooperative effort between the two states was required in order to fully explore Al-Bunduq Field.Overall, Shaikh Ahmad bin Ali Al Thani, was a man of great gentleness and modesty and good behavior, as described by Shaikh Al Qaradawi, who witnessed many dramatic changes that happened to Qatar. He was also the one who signed the treaty that marked Qatars independencea great turning point for Qatar and its society.

ReferencesAl-Shalek,A.Z., Aquil,M., & Al-Abdulla,Y.I. (2009).Political development of Qatar: From the creation of the emirate to the independence of the state. Doha, Qatar: Renoda Modern P. Press.

Al,T.K. (2009).al-Huli al-dani fi sirat al-Shaykh Ali Al Thani. Beirut?: Khalid ibn Muhammad ibn Ghanim ibn Ali Al Thani.History - Qatar - problem, tariff, infrastructure, future, power. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Asia-and-Oceania/Qatar-HISTORY.htmlQatar News Agency. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.qnaol.net/QNAEn/Qatar/History/Pages/SheikhAhmadBinAliBinAbdullahAlhani.aspxQatar5. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.royalark.net/Qatar/qatar6.htm

Shaikh Ahmed Bin Ali Al Thani. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.diwan.gov.qa/english/qatar/AhmedBinAli.htm