In the hours after Qatar lost its architect, his family gathered at Lusail Cemetery for a final farewell marked by grief, closeness, and solemnity.
Last Sunday, Qatar awoke to news that would mark the beginning of one of the saddest weeks in the nation’s modern history.
The Father Amir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, had died at the age of 74, leaving behind a country transformed by his vision, a family mourning its father and grandfather, and a nation grieving the loss of the leader who helped build modern Qatar.
Hours later, Qatar’s ruling family gathered at Lusail Cemetery to perform one final duty.
The burial was solemn. Sons, brothers and grandchildren stood together around the grave, united by a loss that was both national and deeply personal.
Qatar entered four days of mourning following the Father Amir’s passing. Flags were lowered across the country, while several nations, including Kuwait, Bahrain, the UAE, Jordan, Lebanon, India and Somalia, announced official periods of mourning in his honour.
In the days that followed, presidents, monarchs, crown princes, prime ministers and senior officials travelled to Doha to offer their condolences at Lusail Palace. Tributes also arrived from across the Arab and Islamic worlds and beyond, reflecting the deep relationships the Father Amir had built and the place he held in Qatar’s history.
But before the delegations, official tributes and homages, there was this moment beneath Doha’s sky: a family laying its father to rest.
The photographs below capture Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and members of the Al Thani family gathered around the grave as they lowered the Father Amir to his final resting place before covering it with earth by hand.
Among those pictured are Deputy Amir Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Thani; the Amir’s Personal Representative, Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani; Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani; Minister of Interior and Commander of Lekhwiya Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani; President of the Olympic Council of Asia and the Qatar Olympic Committee Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani; and the Amir’s son, Sheikh Hamad bin Tamim Al Thani.
