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Having been an extremely busy trade route connecting
the Indus Valley with Mesopotamia, Qatar's history has
been both tumultuous and glorious.
The Persians have dominated this emirate for times
immemorial. The peninsular land mass of Qatar have enticed
farmers and villagers who came here in search of work
and eventually settled down. These villagers primarily
belonged to the Al Khalifa and Al Saud clans.
The history of Qatar goes back to the early years when
these villagers formed small fishing and pearling villages.
These two occupations became the mainstays of the nation's
economy and people's survival. Hence, there were frequent
clashes and battles for lucrative lands and oyster beds,
leading to the first major unrest in Qatar's history.
During the middle of 19th century, the British Empire
set its sights on Qatar as the intermediary vantage
point on their route to India. During this time, the
Al Khalifa clan was reigning supreme in northern Qatar.
The history of Qatar witnessed clashes between Bahraini
rebels and local rulers, which led to the interruption
of British administration. Bahrain was eventually censured
for breach of agreement and numerous negotiations were
carried out.
The history of Qatar transformed completely when these
negotiations resulted in a sense of political selfhood
for the country. It gained official status as a British
Protectorate only by 1916.
In 1935, a Qatari company received a 75-year oil concession.
Oil was eventually discovered at Dukhan in 1940 and
oil exports began in 1949, the nine-year delay caused
due to World War II.
During the 1950s, there was surmounted pressure on
the British rule to withdraw from the Gulf. In the late
1960s, Qatar joined Bahrain and seven other emirates
to form a federation. However, due to regional disputes,
Qatar declared independence from this coalition, and
in the year 1971, emerged as an independent state.
Qatar's history has been governed by various powerful
men. Since the year 1995, Emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani
has ruled the country and has taken it to discernible
heights. The country is now moving towards democracy
and is all set to be one of the more progressive and
modern states in the region.
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