Overview
Al-Watan was founded in 1995 and was the first newspaper to be launched in Qatar after the Emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, abolished press censorship. Its parent company is Dar Al Watan Printing, Publishing and Distribution Company WLL. With the publication of the daily the other leading Qatari Arabic paper Al Raya lost its one-third of its circulation. The 2008 circulation of the daily was 15,000.