HE Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim al-Thani is launching a new book documenting Qatar’s journey through inspiring events, rare photos, and documents since the time of his grand grandparents until today.
Titled “Qatar We Lived, Its History, People & Rulers,” the book will be available to the public during the Doha International Book Fair, taking place from January 13 Thursday until January 22.
The book includes 10 chapters (covering 452 pages), discussing milestones in Qatar's history since its inception, and its transformation from a mere geographical concept to an independent state with a distinctive culture and pioneering regional and international roles under the wise leadership of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani.
The book, distributed by Hamad Bin Khalifa University Publishing House, includes important chapters, including Qatar’s Beginning, The Ruling Family, The Culture of Qatar, The Years of Hardship, The Qatar Miracle, The Era of Steadfastness, The Difficult Test, Inspirational Qatari Women, and The Immortal Legacy, among others.
The book is soon to be published in 10 languages: Arabic, English, French, Spanish, German, Turkish, Chinese, Hindi, Persian, and Portuguese.
In the book’s introduction, HE Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim writes: “In this book, I was keen to narrate the history of Qatar with reliable sources and accurate information about the emergence of the country, its rulers, and its authentic people, as well as the stories I heard, the events I witnessed and the experiences I had in the Majlis about the people of Qatar and its rulers since my birth.”
He added: “I have lived through six out of the eight rulers of our beloved country and Sheikh Jassim bin Mohamed al-Thani, the founder of the State of Qatar, is my great grandfather. I have been documenting every word, image, and event, in an objective, balanced manner, based on my experiences of living through Qatar’s many different times and eras, as well as my many travels with my father during his youth when he was the Emir of Dukhan area, west of Doha, where our country witnessed the birth of the first appearance of “black gold” and Qatar’s entry into the age of oil.
“The book states that in the path of every people and nation, there are pivotal events and the Qatar that I have lived through is full of distinguished events and inspiring stories. The book also contains comprehensive answers to questions about Qatar's soft power, and how Qatar has managed the limitations of demographics and geography, the weight of diplomacy, and the breadth of international reliability, as well as its vision that has resulted in Qatar providing leadership to countries richer in terms of entities and institutions.
“Today, Qatar is one of the world’s wealthiest and safest countries and boasts some of the region’s most recognisable companies such as Qatar Airways, one of the best airlines in the world, and the famous Al Jazeera news network. It will be the first Arab country to host the FIFA World Cup, which takes place this year. All of these achievements demonstrate Qatar’s progress since its inception.”
The book chronicles the different stages in Qatar’s evolution, from the beginning – focused on desert life and diving for precious pearls – through to the discovery of ‘black gold’ and Qatar’s entry into the energy era, to diversifying the economy with successful investments that span the world, and the move towards a knowledge-based economy that is adapted to the modern-day economy and will be at the forefront of digitisation and innovation.
HE Sheikh Faisal hopes that this book would be a guide that illuminates the way for future generations and for every visitor or newcomer to the land of Qatar to understand the country, its history, and its people.
The book also gives an insight into Qatar’s strong global relationships, as a mediator of peace, a partner for development, and a model for building and providing humanitarian relief. The book is a message to future generations that the elevation of nations and peoples has nothing to do with population size or geographical area, but the unity of a country’s people and the strength of its vision and leadership.
Titled “Qatar We Lived, Its History, People & Rulers,” the book will be available to the public during the Doha International Book Fair, taking place from January 13 Thursday until January 22.
The book includes 10 chapters (covering 452 pages), discussing milestones in Qatar's history since its inception, and its transformation from a mere geographical concept to an independent state with a distinctive culture and pioneering regional and international roles under the wise leadership of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani.
The book, distributed by Hamad Bin Khalifa University Publishing House, includes important chapters, including Qatar’s Beginning, The Ruling Family, The Culture of Qatar, The Years of Hardship, The Qatar Miracle, The Era of Steadfastness, The Difficult Test, Inspirational Qatari Women, and The Immortal Legacy, among others.
The book is soon to be published in 10 languages: Arabic, English, French, Spanish, German, Turkish, Chinese, Hindi, Persian, and Portuguese.
In the book’s introduction, HE Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim writes: “In this book, I was keen to narrate the history of Qatar with reliable sources and accurate information about the emergence of the country, its rulers, and its authentic people, as well as the stories I heard, the events I witnessed and the experiences I had in the Majlis about the people of Qatar and its rulers since my birth.”
He added: “I have lived through six out of the eight rulers of our beloved country and Sheikh Jassim bin Mohamed al-Thani, the founder of the State of Qatar, is my great grandfather. I have been documenting every word, image, and event, in an objective, balanced manner, based on my experiences of living through Qatar’s many different times and eras, as well as my many travels with my father during his youth when he was the Emir of Dukhan area, west of Doha, where our country witnessed the birth of the first appearance of “black gold” and Qatar’s entry into the age of oil.
“The book states that in the path of every people and nation, there are pivotal events and the Qatar that I have lived through is full of distinguished events and inspiring stories. The book also contains comprehensive answers to questions about Qatar's soft power, and how Qatar has managed the limitations of demographics and geography, the weight of diplomacy, and the breadth of international reliability, as well as its vision that has resulted in Qatar providing leadership to countries richer in terms of entities and institutions.
“Today, Qatar is one of the world’s wealthiest and safest countries and boasts some of the region’s most recognisable companies such as Qatar Airways, one of the best airlines in the world, and the famous Al Jazeera news network. It will be the first Arab country to host the FIFA World Cup, which takes place this year. All of these achievements demonstrate Qatar’s progress since its inception.”
The book chronicles the different stages in Qatar’s evolution, from the beginning – focused on desert life and diving for precious pearls – through to the discovery of ‘black gold’ and Qatar’s entry into the energy era, to diversifying the economy with successful investments that span the world, and the move towards a knowledge-based economy that is adapted to the modern-day economy and will be at the forefront of digitisation and innovation.
HE Sheikh Faisal hopes that this book would be a guide that illuminates the way for future generations and for every visitor or newcomer to the land of Qatar to understand the country, its history, and its people.
The book also gives an insight into Qatar’s strong global relationships, as a mediator of peace, a partner for development, and a model for building and providing humanitarian relief. The book is a message to future generations that the elevation of nations and peoples has nothing to do with population size or geographical area, but the unity of a country’s people and the strength of its vision and leadership.
