House of Thani

House of Thani
آل ثاني
Parent houseBanu Hanzala[1]
CountryQatar
Foundedc. 1847
FounderMohammed bin Thani
Current headTamim bin Hamad
Titles
TraditionsIslam (Sunni)

The House of Thani (Arabic: آل ثاني, romanizedAl Thani) is the ruling family of Qatar, with origins tracing back to the Northern Arab Banu Tamim tribe.[2] Today Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and his mother Moza bint Nassir leads the house.

History and structure[edit]

The Al Thanis[3] can be traced back to Mudar bin Nizar. The tribe moved from Nejdi town of Ushaiger and settled at the Gebrin oasis in southern Najd (present-day Saudi Arabia) before they moved to Qatar.[4] Around the 17th century, the tribe lived in Ushaiger, a settlement north-west of Riyadh. 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 and Al Ruwais.[5] They settled in Doha in the 19th century under their leader Mohammed bin Thani.[4] The group was named after the father of Mohammad, Thani bin Mohammad.[4]

The family is made of four main factions: Bani Qassim, Bani Ahmed, Bani Jaber, and Bani Thamer.[6][7] As of the early 1990s, the number of the family members was estimated to be about 20,000.[7]

In 1995, many royal family members staged a successful coup against the then King, King Khalifa Al Thani. His son, Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani became the King. A few months later, there was a failed coup.

The leadership transitions in 1913, 1949, 1960, and 2013 were all abdications.[6] These abdications were to a nephew in one incident and sons in the others.[6][8]

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".[9]

Rulers[edit]

List of Emirs:

Family tree[edit]

'Genealogical table of the Ruling Āl Thāni (Ma’ādhīd) Family of Dōhah in Qatar', produced in 1915.
House of Thani
Muhammad
bin Thani

(1)
r. 1847–1878
Jassim
bin Muhammad

(2)
r. 1878–1913
Abdullah
bin Jassim

(3)
r. 1913–1949
Ali
bin Abdullah

(4)
r. 1949–1960
Hamad
bin Abdullah
Ahmad
bin Ali

(5)
r. 1960–1972
Khalifa
bin Hamad

(6)
r. 1972–1995
Hamad
bin Khalifa

(7)
r. 1995–2013
Tamim
bin Hamad

(8)
r. 2013–present

Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani Branch[edit]

The Ahmed bin Muhammed Al Thani Branch[edit]

The Jaber bin Muhammed Al Thani Branch[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "The Banu Tamim tribe". 28 February 2019.
  2. ^ "Meet the world's other 25 royal families". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 4 July 2015. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
  3. ^ Althani, Mohamed (2013). Jassim the Leader: Founder of Qatar. Profile Books. p. 25. ISBN 978-1-78125-070-9.
  4. ^ a b c "Line of succession: The Al Thani rule in Qatar". Gulf News. 24 June 2013. Archived from the original on 27 June 2013. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
  5. ^ Mohamed Althani, p. 26
  6. ^ a b c Kamrava, Mehran (Summer 2009). "Royal Factionalism and Political Liberalization in Qatar". The Middle East Journal. 63 (3): 401–420. doi:10.3751/63.3.13. S2CID 154521643. Archived from the original on 13 July 2015. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
  7. ^ a b Helen Chapin Metz, ed. (1993). "The Al Thani". Persian Gulf States: A Country Study. Washington: GPO for the Library of Congress. Archived from the original on 14 October 2012. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
  8. ^ Crystal, Jill (July 1989). "Coalitions in Oil Monarchies: Kuwait and Qatar". Comparative Politics. 21 (4): 427–443. doi:10.2307/422006. JSTOR 422006.
  9. ^ "How Qatar bought up Britain". The Guardian. 5 November 2022. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
  10. ^ "File 160/1903 'Persian Gulf: El Katr; appointment of Turkish Mudirs; question of Protectorate Treaty with El Katr' [170v] (345/860)". Qatar Digital Library. 20 August 2015. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  11. ^ "Qatari emir Sheikh Hamad hands power to son Tamim". BBC News. 25 June 2013. Archived from the original on 25 June 2013. Retrieved 25 June 2013.
  12. ^ "Qatari court convicts ex-finance minister of laundering $5.6 billion: Document". Khaleej Times. Reuters. Retrieved 5 February 2024.

External links[edit]