Qatar has declared three days of mourning following the death of the former Emir Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad Al-Thani on Sunday at the age of 84.

The Emiri Diwan, or royal court, announced the death of the 84-year-old former emir.Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani was the grandfather of the current leader of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

The late emir ruled Qatar from 1972 until 1995 when his son Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, the father of Qatar’s current emir Sheikh Tamim, took over.

Qatar will observe three days of mourning, the Emiri Diwan said.

Qatar is small, with 2.5 million people, but is the world’s largest exporter of liquefied natural gas, a global investment powerhouse and heavy hitter in Middle East diplomacy and international media.