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Shaikh Abdullah Bin Jassim Al-Thani was born in 1880 at Doha.

On 17 July 1913, Shaikh Abdullah became the ruler of Qatar.

Britain and the Ottoman Empire accorded their recognition to Shaikh Abdullah and his successors’ ruler over the whole of the Qatari Peninsula. The Ottoman also renounced all their rights to Qatar and following the outbreak of the First World War; Shaikh Abdullah forced the Ottomans to abandon Doha in 1915.

On 3 November 1916, Britain, in order to bring Qatar under its Trucial System of Administration, signed a Treaty with Shaikh Abdullah. While Shaikh Abdullah agreed not to enter into any relations with any other power without prior consent of the British Government, Percy Zakhariah Cox, the Political Resident in the Gulf, who signed the Treaty on behalf of his government, guaranteed the protection of Qatar ‘from all aggression by sea’.

On 5 May 1935, Shaikh Abdullah was able to obtain Britain’s agreement for the protection of Qatar from inside as well as any outside-unprovoked attacks.

Following British recognition of Shaikh Hamad, the second son of Shaikh Abdullah as the Heir Apparent of Qatar, Shaikh Abdullah signed the first Oil Concession Agreement with the Anglo-Persian Oil Company on 17 May 1935.

Accordingly, in October 1938, drilling of first well in Qatar began and the discovery of oil was made at Dukhan structure in January 1940. However, the oil wells were capped as the result of the progress of the Second World War.

On 30 June 1948, Shaikh Abdullah appointed Shaikh Ali Bin Abdullah Al-Thani as the Deputy Ruler following the death of Shaikh Hamad on 27 May 1948.

Shaikh Abdullah’s last act as the Ruler was the signing of a Seabed Concession with Central Mining and Investment Corporation Ltd. on 5 August 1949. The Shaikh died on 25 April 1957.

Shaikh Abdullah Bin Jassim Al Thani with his son Shaikh Hamad Bin Abdullah Al Thani

Shaikh Abdullah Bin Jassim Al Thani and to his right Shaikh Ali Bin Abdullah Al Thani and Shaikh Hamad Bin Abdullah Al Thani

Shaikh Abdullah Bin Jassim Al Thani

Shaikh Abdullah Bin Jassim Al-Thani and Mrs. Dixon, wife of the high commissioner in Kuwait with - from the right - Shaikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al-Thani and Shaikh Khalifa Bin Hamad Al-Thani

Shaikh Abdullah Bin Jassim Al- Thani palace