First organized in 2002, the event was part of the UCI Asia Tour until 2016.

The 2017 edition was to have seen the event upgraded to the UCI World Tour for the first time,[1][2] but it was cancelled due to lack of sponsorship support.

Because Qatar is entirely flat, the tour was almost always won by a sprinter or classics specialist.

Belgian Tom Boonen and Dutchwoman Kirsten Wild hold the record with four overall wins, in the men's and ladies' competition respectively.

However, in December 2016, the event was cancelled due to lack of sponsorship support.