Sheikh Hamad ibn Khalifa Al Thani

Sheikh Hamad ibn Khalifa Al Thani (born 1952, Doha, Qatar) is the former emir of Qatar (1995–2013). Sheikh Hamad took power from his father, Sheikh Khalifa ibn Hamad Al Thani, who had become Qatar’s leader just months after the country won independence from Great Britain in 1972. In 2013 Hamad abdicated in favor of his son Sheikh Tamim.