northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula .
Whether the sovereign state should be considered a constitutional monarchy or an absolute monarchy is disputed. Its sole land
border is with neighbouring Gulf Cooperation Council monarchy Saudi Arabia to the south, with the remainder of its territory
surrounded by the Persian Gulf . The Gulf of Bahrain, an inlet of the Persian Gulf , separates Qatar from nearby Bahrain.
In early 2017, Qatar's total population was 2.6 million: 313,000 Qatari citizens and a couple of .3 million expatriates. Islam is that the official
high human development and is widely considered the foremost advanced Arab state for human development. Qatar may be a highincome economy, backed by the world's third-largest gas reserves and oil reserves.
Qatar has been ruled by the House of Thani since Mohammed bin Thani signed a treaty with British in 1868 that recognised
its separate status. Following Ottoman rule, Qatar became a British protectorate within the early 20th century until gaining
independence in 1971. In 2003, the constitution was overwhelmingly approved during a referendum, with almost 98% in favour. In
the 21st century, Qatar emerged as a big power within the Arab world both through its globally expanding media group, Al
Jazeera Media Network, and reportedly supporting several rebel groups financially during the Arab Spring. For its size, Qatar
wields disproportionate influence within the world, and has been identified as a middle power. Qatar is currently the topic of a
diplomatic and economic embargo by Saudi Arabia , the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Egypt, which began in June 2017.
Saudi Arabia has proposed the development of the Salwa Canal, which might line the Saudi-Qatar border, effectively
turning Qatar into an island.
Etymology
Pliny the Elder, a Roman writer, documented the earliest account concerning the inhabitants of the peninsula round the midfirst century AD, pertaining to them because the Catharrei, a designation which can have derived from the name of a prominent local
settlement. A century later, Ptolemy produced the primary known map to depict the peninsula, pertaining to it as Catara. The map also
referenced a town named "Cadara" to the east of the peninsula. was exclusively used until the 18th century, after which 'Katara'
emerged because the most ordinarily recognised spelling. Eventually, after several variations – 'Katr', 'Kattar' and 'Guttur' – the
modern derivative Qatar was adopted because the country's name.
In Standard Arabic, the name is pronounced, while within the local dialect it's . Mesopotamian artifacts originating from the Ubaid
period are discovered in abandoned coastal settlements. Al Da'asa, a settlement located on the western coast of Qatar, is
the most important Ubaid site within the country and is believed to possess accommodated alittle seasonal encampment.
Kassite Babylonian material dating back to the second millennium BC found in Al Khor Islands attests to trade relations
between the inhabitants of Qatar and therefore the Kassites in modern-day Bahrain. Among the findings were 3,000,000 crushed snail
shells and Kassite potsherds.
In 224 AD, the Sasanian Empire gained control over the territories surrounding the Persian Gulf . Qatar played a task within the
commercial activity of the Sasanids, contributing a minimum of two commodities: precious pearls and purple dye. Under the Sasanid
reign, many of the inhabitants in Eastern Arabia were introduced to Christianity following the eastward dispersal of the faith
by Mesopotamian Christians. Monasteries were constructed and further settlements were founded during this era. During the
latter a part of the Christian era , Qatar comprised a neighborhood referred to as 'Beth Qatraye' . The region wasn't limited to Qatar; it also
included Bahrain, Tarout Island, Al-Khatt, and Al-Hasa.
In 628, Muhammad sent a Muslim envoy to a ruler in Eastern Arabia named Munzir ibn Sawa Al Tamimi and requested that he
and his subjects accept Islam. Munzir obliged his request, and accordingly, most of the Arab tribes within the region converted to
Islam. After the adoption of Islam, the Arabs led the Muslim conquest of Persia which resulted within the fall of the Sasanian
Empire.
Early and late Islamic period
Qatar was described as a famous horse and camel breeding centre during the Umayyad period. within the 8th century, it started
benefiting from its commercially strategic position within the Persian Gulf and went on to become a centre of pearl trading.
Substantial development within the pearling industry round the Qatari Peninsula occurred during the Abbasid era. When the
caliphate's prosperity declined in Iraq, so too did it in Qatar.
Qatar is mentioned in 13th-century Muslim scholar Yaqut al-Hamawi's book, Mu'jam Al-Buldan, which alludes to the Qataris'
fine striped woven cloaks and their skills in improvement and finishing of spears.
Much of Eastern Arabia was controlled by the Usfurids in 1253, but control of the region was seized by the prince of Ormus in
1320. Qatar's pearls provided the dominion with one among its main sources of income. In 1515, Manuel I of Portugal vassalised the
Kingdom of Ormus. Portugal went on to seize a big portion of Eastern Arabia in 1521. In 1550, the inhabitants of AlHasa voluntarily submitted to the rule of the Ottomans, preferring them to the Portuguese. Having retained a negligible military
presence within the area, the Ottomans were expelled by the Bani Khalid tribe in 1670.
Bahraini and Saudi rule
In 1766, the Utub tribe of Al Khalifa migrated from Kuwait to Zubarah in Qatar. By the time of their arrival, the Bani Khalid
exercised weak authority over the peninsula, not withholding that the most important village was ruled by a foreign kin of the Bani
Khalid. In 1783, Qatar-based Bani Utbah clans and allied Arab tribes invaded and annexed Bahrain from the Persians. The Al
Khalifa imposed their authority over Bahrain and extended their area of jurisdiction to Qatar. Upon being made conscious of
advancements by the Egyptians on the western frontier in 1811, the Wahhabi amir reduced his garrisons in Bahrain and Zubarah
in order to re-position his troops. Said bin Sultan of Muscat capitalised on this chance and raided the Wahhabi garrisons on the eastern coast, setting fire to the fort in Zubarah. The Al Khalifa were effectively returned to power thereafter.
Although Qatar had the status of a dependency, there was a well-liked sentiment of resentment against the Al Khalifa. In
1867, the Al Khalifa, along side the ruler of Abu Dhabi , sent a huge naval force to Al Wakrah in an attempt to crush the Qatari
rebels. This resulted within the maritime Qatari–Bahraini War of 1867–1868, during which Bahraini and Abu Dhabi forces sacked and
looted Doha and Al Wakrah. The Bahraini hostilities were in violation of the 1820 Anglo-Bahraini Treaty. The joint incursion,
however, additionally to the Qatari counter-attack, prompted British political agent Lewis Pelly to impose a settlement in 1868.
His mission to Bahrain and Qatar and therefore the resulting peace were milestones because they implicitly recognised the
distinctness of Qatar from Bahrain and explicitly acknowledged the position of Mohammed bin Thani. additionally to censuring
Bahrain for its breach of agreement, British protectorate asked to barter with a representative from Qatar, a task which
Mohammed bin Thani was selected to fulfil. The results of the negotiations left the state with a new-found sense of political
identity, although it didn't gain a politician standing as a protectorate until 1916.
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