Qatar - Countries - Office of the Historian (2024)

FAQs

What was Qatar called before WWII? ›

During the latter part of the Christian era, Qatar was known by the Syriac name 'Beth Qatraye' (ܒܝܬ ܩܛܪܝܐ; "region of the Qataris"). A variant of this was 'Beth Catara'. The region was not limited to Qatar; it also included Bahrain, Tarout Island, Al-Khatt, and Al-Hasa.

Qatar had previously been a protectorate under Great Britain, declaring independence on September 3, 1971, following the termination date of treaties with Great Britain.

Qatar was described as a famous horse and camel breeding centre during the Umayyad period. In the 8th century, it started benefiting from its commercially strategic position in the Persian Gulf and went on to become a centre of pearl trading.

Since its complete independence from Britain in 1971, Qatar has emerged as one of the world's most important producers of oil and gas. It is an Islamic State whose laws and customs follow the Islamic tradition. Since 2013, the country has been governed by HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani.

listen); Arabic: قطر Qaṭar [ˈqɑtˤɑr]; local dialect: [ɡɪtˤɑr]), officially the State of Qatar (Arabic: دولة قطر Dawlat Qaṭar), is a sovereign country in Western Asia.

Is Qatar richer than Dubai? The short answer is yes. Qatar has a per capital income that is higher than UAE of which Dubai is a part. Qatar's Income is from oil and gas and it's fown stream industries; whereas Dubai has very little oil and much of its income is from trading, tourism and trans shipment.

Qatar established unofficial trade relations with Israel in 1996, the second state bordering the Persian Gulf to do so after Oman. In 2000, Israel's trade office in Qatar was closed down by authorities. Qatar permanently severed trade relations with Israel in 2009 following Operation Cast Lead.

Arabic is the official language of Qatar, with Qatari Arabic or Gulf Arabic the local dialect. Qatari Sign Language is the language of the deaf community. English is commonly used as a second language, and a rising lingua franca, especially in commerce, those from other countries, and the medical community.

During the latter part of this “Christian era,” Qatar was known by the Syriac name “Beth Qatraye.” The name translates to “region of the Qataris.” This region was not limited to Qatar; it also included Bahrain, Tarout Island, Al-Khatt, and Al-Hasa. In 628 AD, most of the Arab tribes converted to Islam.

What are 3 important facts about Qatar? ›

These include the al-Khalifa, the al-Sudan, the al-Saud, the Utubi, the Bani Khalid, the Qawasim, the al-Musallam, the al-Ainain, the al-Attiyah, and the al-Kuwari. Several of these families, such as the al-Sudan and the al-Musallam, predate the al-Thani family's arrival in Qatar.

The high-profile death of British travel industry executive Marc Bennett in 2022 raised questions over whether it's safe to travel to the country. However, there's no reason not to travel to Qatar right now. The Arab nation is considered a safe place to visit and crime levels are also generally low.

Health in Qatar has undergone significant improvement in the last several decades as a result of substantial investments in healthcare by the government. Child mortalities have been reduced by over fifty percent since the 1990s.

The country is one of the dominant exporters of natural gas, and the North Field expansion will increase liquefied natural gas production capacity. Qatar's medium-term growth outlook is favorable given the major LNG production expansion and prospects for accelerated reforms.

1875~1914. By the last quarter of the 19th century, Qatar is once again under Ottoman control. However, the country's rulers maintain considerable independence along with an alliance with Britain.

Qatar was ruled by the Al-Thani Dynasty, after its leader Thani bin Mohammad — father of Sheikh Mohammad bin Thani, who was the first sheikh later on to have an actual power over the Qatari Peninsula during the mid-nineteenth century.

Until the 19th century, Doha was a small fishing and pearl-fishing village, known to Persian Gulf pirates for the protection afforded by its old port of al-Bida. It became the administrative centre of the British Qatar protectorate in 1916.

Before the discovery of oil and then gas, Qatar was strongly linked to the sea by its geographical shape, a peninsula that juts out into the waters of the Gulf gives more than 350 km of direct access to multiple production areas: fish and pearl oyster beds.