Doha history

Contrary to the sophisticated capital it is today, Doha was once a poor fishing and pearling village. In 1826, the Ottomans, who controlled most of Arabia, made Sheikh Thani bin Muhammed ruler of Doha, then called Al Bida, and later promoted him to Sheikh of Qatar.

By 1916, the Turks had withdrawn from Doha, and were replaced by the British army. Doha became the capital of the British protectorate of Qatar.

During the 1930s, Doha, along with other Gulf cities, suffered severe economic setbacks due to Japan's cultured pearls industry, ushering in years of dire poverty, in spite of the discovery of oil and natural gas reserves in Qatar. Britain's involvement in WWII diverted its attention from Doha's economic health, leaving the country to wallow in poverty for over 10 years.

In 1949, however, oil and gas production began, and by the 1960s, Doha was one of the wealthiest cities in the region, although it remained largely underdeveloped. In 1971, the country gained independence, with Doha as its official capital.