WATCH: Qatar - the history behind its success

Qatar National Day 2018 is around the corner, with the country gearing up for December 18th. As preparations reach their final stages, there is excitement everywhere. 

In the meantime, the National Day Organising Committee 2018 announced that ‘As long as it was proven by our deeds’ will be the motto of this year’s celebrations.

'Qatar Will Remain Free', a line from the national anthem, will also be used this year.

The Committee said that the line ‘As long as it was proven by our deeds’ is a verse taken from one of the poems by Qatar’s Founder Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed bin Thani. The good work that builds the nation varies from era to era according to the growth of its needs, and it is a necessary condition of its renaissance.

A brief history

On 18th December 1878, Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammad Al Thani unified all the local tribes in the peninsula by combating external powers, and the modern state of Qatar was born.

The people of Qatar lived a simple life, and for decades, the economy depended on the lucrative pearl trade industry. But by the dawn of the 20th century, the prices of pearl started plummeting, and when the great depression hit the United States in 1929.

The demand for pearls came to a complete halt. This was a difficult time for Qatar, and it lasted until the year 1939. That’s when oil gushed on the shore of dukhan for the very first time, transforming Qatar’s economy into an energy-based one.

By 1949, Doha was very different than what we are used to today. It was a small town with a population of about 12,000 people, and was divided into different neighborhoods. Each was inhabited by people of the same tribe. Neighborhoods like Al Rumaila, Al Jissra, Al Ahmad Al Ghanem, Al Murqab, and others are still the names of Doha’s districts to this day.

In the town centre, there was market where camels were sold, along with other commodities like garments and spices. It was known as Souq Waqif. The years that followed witnessed an increase of foreign professionals arriving in Qatar to work in the oil industry.

Training centers were then established where Qataris were trained to operate oil machinery.

In 1971, the same year Qatar got its independence from Britain, natural gas was discovered in Qatar for the first time. This was considered a disappointment back then as it was difficult to export compared to oil.

It took 26 years for Qatar to start exporting its massive Natural gas reserves. In 1997, when His Highness Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani took a leap of faith by investing billions of dollars into the production liquefied natural gas, and despite the difficulties, his clever decisions paid off, making Qatar the biggest exporter of LNG in the world, and the richest country per-capita.

To this day, with its wise leadership, Qatar is able to succeed in every aspect, and able to overcome every difficulty along the way.

So on this National Day, let all citizens and expats in Qatar be proud to be a part of the success story of this great country.

Happy National Day!

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