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 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]