Full Answer Section

Here’s what we do know:

• Trading and Pearling: There’s evidence of fishermen and pearl divers being active in the region as far back as 3,000 BC. Qatar’s location made it a strategic stop on trade routes between Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley.

It’s important to note that while major empires rose and fell in the surrounding regions, Qatar remained on the periphery of these grand historical narratives. The major turning points in Qatar’s history occurred much later, around the 18th and 19th centuries, with the rise of pearl trading and the discovery of oil.