House of Thani

The House of Thani (Arabic: آل ثاني Al Thani‎) is the ruling family of Qatar, whose origins can be traced back to the Ma'adid clan of the Banu Tamim tribal confederation.

History and structure

The Al Thanis, an Arabic Family part which belongs to the Ma'adid sect of the Banu Tamim tribe, can be traced back to Mudar bin Nizar who settled at Gebrin oasis in southern Najd (present-day Saudi Arabia) before he moved to Qatar. Around the 17th century, the tribe lived in Ushayqir, a settlement north-east of Riyadh. They settled in Qatar around the 1740s. Their first settlement in Qatar was in the southern town of Sikak, and from there they moved north-west to Zubarah and Al Ruwais. They settled in Doha in the 19th century under their leader Mohammad bin Thani. The group was named after the father of Mohammad, Thani bin Mohammad.

The family is made of many factions. There were three major branches in the early 1990s: Bani Ali, Bani Hamad and Bani Khalid. The number of the family members during the same period was estimated to be about 20,000.