Britain walking away from it’s global commitments often meant that their partners had to adapt. So slip on your smoking jacket, fill your pipe, take your first sip of your adult beverage, and sit back in your most comfortable chair. Welcome to todays offering from The Philatelist.
Today we have a stamp from an oil and gas rich Emirate two years after independence from Britain. Already we see the leader wants to make his citizens understand that the benefits of the oil boom will benefit them. In this case, we see a modern operating room in a new hospital complex. As you can see this largess was brought to you by the new Emir in town Sheik Khalifa. The oil revenue was so vast and the population so small that development was able to go forward faster than any capitalist or communist system could have mustered.
The stamp today is issue A51, a 4 Dirhams stamp issued by the Emirate of Qatar on February 22nd, 1973. It was part of a 10 stamp issue in various denominations depicting Sheik Khalifa and various of the many development projects going on in Qatar at the time. According to the Scott catalog, the stamp is worth 80 cents in its mint condition.
Qatar had been ruled for many years by an Emir. The Emirate as with many in the area were under the status of protectorate of Great Britain. In 1940, oil was discovered in Qatar and as a result the lot of the people became much better. In fact Qatar became host to a great number of guest workers in the realm. Mainly from this many from North Yemen, desired for a pan-Arab socialism similar to the model of Nasser’s Egypt came to the forefront. At the same time, the British were no longer wiling to guarantee the status quo in their protectorates. In 1968, The British government announced they were ending their treaty commitments “east of Suez”.
It was hoped that the many Emirates in the area could form a federation that could preserve the status of the Royals involved. The federation got as close as an agreement in principle, but later collapsed when details over a capital or power in government ministries could not be agreed to. As such, Qatar achieved its independence from Great Britain in 1971.
When the announcement of independence was made by Sheik Ahmad not from Qatar but rather from the Swiss villa where he spent the bulk of his time, it was realized that he was not the leader to take the small country into an independent future.
Ahmad’s cousin and Prime Minister deposed him in early 1972 while Sheik Ahmad was on an Iranian hunting trip. New Emir Sheik Khalifa worked “hard” to reform the government and see that the benefits of the oil and now gas revenue benefited more native Qataris. His efforts saw that Qatar'[s system was able to yield enough results to stave off the pan Arab socialist movement.
As his predecessor and cousin had done before him, Sheik Khalifa eventually delegated much of the day to day running of the country to his first born son from his first wife. He himself began spending more time in Europe. This again left room for some intrigue. Sheik Khalifa had four sons and twelve daughters by his four wives. A son from his second wife deposed him in 1995 bloodlessly while he was in Paris. Sheik Khalifa was allowed to return to Qatar in 2004 and died with full honors in 2016. His first born son and assumed heir remains in exile, from where he attempted a coup in 2011.
It is strange that such an ancient ruling family as been so adept in the maneuverings necessary to stay in power in the modern world. They also outlasted the fall of the Shah in Iran and more recently the Arab Spring movement. For this, I will toast the House of Thani. Come again for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting. First published in 2018.