Qatar has been inhabited for many centuries. Dominance over Qatar by the Khalifa family of Bahrain persisted until 1868 when, at the request of Qatari nobles, the British negotiated the termination of the Bahraini claim, except for the payment of tribute. The tribute ended with the occupation of Qatar by Ottoman Turks in 1872.

When the Ottoman Turks evacuated the peninsula at the beginning of World War I, the British recognized as ruler Sheikh Abdullah bin Jasmin Al Thani, whose family had lived in Qatar for 200 years.

The treaty concluded in 1916 between the United Kingdom and Sheikh Abdullah was similar to those entered into by the British with other Gulf principalities. Under it, the ruler undertook not to dispose of any of his territory except to the United Kingdom and not to enter into relationships with any other foreign government without British consent. In return, the British promised to protect Qatar from all aggression by sea and to lend their good offices in case of a land attack. A 1934 treaty granted more extensive British protection to Qatar.

In 1935, a 75-year oil concession was granted to the Qatar Petroleum Company, which was Anglo-Dutch, French, and U.S. owned. High-quality oil was discovered in 1940 at Dukhan, on the western side of the peninsula. Exploitation was delayed by World War II, and oil exports did not begin until 1949.

During the 1950s and 1960s, gradually increasing oil revenues brought prosperity, rapid immigration, substantial social progress, and the beginnings of modern industry.

When the British Government announced a policy in 1968 (reaffirmed in March 1971) of ending the treaty relationships with the Gulf sheikhdoms, Qatar joined the other eight states then under British protection (the seven Trucial Sheikhdoms--the present united Arab Emirates--and Bahrain) in a plan to form a union of Arab emirates. By mid-1971, however, the nine sheikdoms still had not agreed on terms of union, and the termination date (end of 1971) of the British treaty relationship was approaching. Accordingly, Qatar sought independence as a separate entity, and became fully independent on September 3, 1971, as the State of Qatar.

Political Conditions

The head of state is the amir, and the right to rule Qatar is passed on within the Al Thani, the ruling family. politically, Qatar is evolving from a traditional society into a modern welfare state. Government departments have been established to meet the requirements of social and economic progress.

The basic law of 1970 institutionalized local customs rooted in Qatar's conservative Wahabi heritage, granting the amir preeminent power. The amir's role is influenced by continuing traditions of consultations, rule by consensus, and the citizen's right to appeal personally to the Amir. The Amir, while directly accountable to no one, cannot violate the Shari'a (Islamic law) and, in practice, must consider the opinions of leading notables and the religious establishment. Their position was institutionalized in the Advisory Council, an appointed body that assists the Amir in formulating policy. An electoral system has not been set up. Political parties are banned.

The influx of expatriate Arabs has introduced ideas that call into question the tenets of Qatar's traditional society, but there has been no serious challenge to Al Thani rule.

In February 1972, the Deputy Ruler and Prime Minister of Qatar, Sheikh Khalifa, deposed his cousin, Amir Ahmad, and assumed power. This move, supported by the key members of the Al Thani, took place without violence or signs of political unrest.

Source: U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Public Affairs, November 1987.