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Al Thani presence in the Qatar peninsula dates from the eighteenth century when they arrived from the Gebrin oasis in the south of Nejd.
The family is named after its doyen Sheikh Thani bin Mohamed, the father of Sheikh Mohamed bin Thani who was the first to rule the peninsula in the middle of the nineteenth century. The Al Thani family is a branch of the Arab tribe of Beni Tameem who descend from Mudhar bin Nizar.
From the middle of the nineteenth century, Qatar became a centre of the pearl trade. It was ruled by Sheikh Mohamed bin Thani who had his capital at Al Bidda, the modern city of Doha, until his death in 1878. He was succeeded by Sheikh Jassim bin Mohamed Al Thani who ruled with a great deal of independence from both Britain and the Ottomans. Sheikh Jassim thus became one of the most influential and powerful rulers of that era.
By the time of Ottoman withdrawal from Doha in 1915, power had passed to Sheikh Abdalla bin Jassim, who succeeded his father upon the latter’s death two years earlier. Qatar, like the other emirates in the area, became a British protectorate when Sheikh Abdalla signed a treaty with Britain in 1916.
Neither took an active role in the running of the country. However this situation began to change in the 1950's when Sheikh Khalifa Bin Hamad, the cousin of Ahmed, became Heir Apparent and served not only as Prime Minister, but headed various other ministries such as Foreign Affairs, Finance and Petroleum and Education and Culture at different times. Sheikh Khalifa was effectively the first modern ruler of Qatar, taking a close interest in and a strong supervisory role over all aspects of the government and development of his country and people.
 Sheikh Khalifa was succeeded by his son and Heir Apparent, H.H. Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa in 1995. Sheikh Hamad was born in Doha in 1950 and was educated both in Qatar and overseas. Prior to his accession, he also held the post of Defence Minister - a title which he has retained as Emir.
Since the accession of Sheikh Hamad, the country has made enormous strides forward in opening up its business and investment opportunities, in furthering the development of its hydrocarbon resources and in the expansion of foreign relations.
This is largely due to the influence of the Emir and to the implementation of policies that originated at the very highest level. Sheikh Hamad is enormously popular with his people, as was touchingly evidenced by the spontaneous displays of loyalty when he returned from extensive recuperation overseas, following a kidney transplant operation.
Sheikh Hamad is known as a great family man and takes a deep interest in the education and cultural development of his many children. In 1996, the Emir named his third son, H.H. Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad, Heir Apparent of Qatar. Educated at Sandhurst in Britain and in Qatar, Sheikh Jassim is rapidly assuming increasing responsibility and has deputised for his father on a number of occasions. The younger brother of the Emir, H.H. Sheikh Abdullah Bin Khalifa was appointed to the post of Prime Minister in 1996, and another brother, HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa became Deputy Prime Minister.
The Al-Thani are holders of absolute power in the State of Qatar, and have shown themselves to be benevolent, forward-thinking and wise rulers.
Source: http://www.qatar-info.com/
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