House of Thani


The House of Thani is the ruling family of Qatar, with origins tracing back to the Adnanite Banu Tamim tribe. Currently, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani leads the house.
Officially, the House of Thani rules Qatar as a constitutional monarchy, but the wide powers retained by the emir and his family have it bordering an absolute monarchy and autocracy.

History and structure

The Al Thani family can be traced back to Mudar ibn Nizar, a claimed descendant of the Biblical figure Ishmael. The tribe moved from the Najdi town of Ushaiger, a settlement north-west of Riyadh, and settled at the Gebrin oasis in southern Najd before they moved to Qatar. They settled in Qatar around the 1720s. Their first settlement in Qatar was in the southern town of Sikak, and from there they moved north-west to Zubarah, Al Ruwais and then to Fuwayrit. They settled in Doha in the 19th century under their leader Mohammed bin Thani. The group was named after his father Thani bin Mohammed.
The family is made up of three main branches: the Bani Ali, Bani Hamad, and Bani Khalid. As of the early 1990s, the family numbered an estimated 20,000 members.
The family and their relatives and associates own significant properties in the Mayfair district of London, with an estimated quarter of Mayfair's 279 acres, including two of the area's best known luxury hotels—The Connaught and Claridge's. The area has acquired the nickname "Little Doha".

Rulers

List of rulers:

Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani branch