Mohammed Sheikh

Background

Sheikh Mohammed bin Thani was born in Fuwayrit, Qatar, by his father and predecessor to the throne, Sheikh Thani bin Mohammed Al Thamir, with Sheikh Mohammed being the second eldest son of his father, along with his four siblings:.

Career

Early life and governance Sheikh Thamir bin Thani bin Mohammed Al Thamir Sheikh Eid bin Thani bin Mohammed Al Thamir Sheikh Ali bin Thani bin Mohammed Al Thamir Sheikh Ahmad bin Thani bin Mohammed Al-Thamir After living a lengthy life in Fuwayrit, the Al Thani family finally moved from Fuwayrit to Doha, the capital city and state of Qatar, under the leadership of Sheikh Mohammed who was 59 at the time,in 1847. His father later died in 1860, when he succeeded to the throne. By the early 1860s, Sheikh Mohammed emerged as the most important figure in Qatar and an important government official in the Persian Gulf.

Events during his reign Sheikh Mohammed extended his influence throughout the whole Qatari Peninsula and strengthened his position externally by making an alliance with Faisal Bin Turki, the emir of the second Saudi state, who himself paid a visit to Qatar in early 1851. On 12 September 1868, Sheikh Mohammed signed a treaty with Colonel Lewis Pelly, a British resident in the Persian Gulf, which recognized the independence of Qatar. In 1871, Sheikh Mohammed made a plea for protection against any external attack to the Ottomans at Al Hasa.

However, the Ottomans were the ones who displayed hostility to the Qataris in the same decade of his plea.

Achievements

• He is known for being the father of Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani, the founder of Qatar and who fended off the Ottoman army in the late 19th century.