Former emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, dies at 74

Qatari former Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani has died at the age of 74, the nation's Amiri Diwan, the country's top government body, announced on Sunday.

"With hearts steadfast in faith in God’s decree and destiny, the Amiri Diwan mourns the great loss to the nation of the late – may God have mercy on him – His Highness the Father Amir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, who passed away this morning," the Amiri Diwan said in a statement, reports Al Jazeera.

The state-run Qatar News Agency also reported his death.

Sheikh Hamad stepped down in June 2013 after serving as emir for 18 years. He was widely regarded as the architect of energy-rich Qatar's remarkable transformation from a backwater into an international crossroads in less than a generation. Qatar owns the Harrods department store in London and founded the powerful Al Jazeera satellite news network, reports AP.

Qatar's political influence extends from North Africa to Afghanistan, and the country hosted the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the world's most-watched soccer event. Although long out of power, Sheikh Hamad received thunderous applause from Qataris attending the tournament's opening match.

However, Qatar's rise under Sheikh Hamad also unsettled regional and Western allies because of its independent-minded foreign policy, including its close ties with Shiite powerhouse Iran, the Palestinian militant Hamas group and Egypt's outlawed Muslim Brotherhood.

Sheikh Hamad had announced his abdication and the transition to his son, the British-educated Crown Prince Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who was then 33.