The Luxurious Lifestyle of the $335 Billion Qatari Royal Family
Qatar is ruled by the al-Thani dynasty, who are ethnic Tamimis. The family’s ascension to power was the product of British and Ottoman imperial politics, unlike most other Arab rulers who are believed to be either direct descendants of the Prophet Muhammad or have held their kingdom for generations.
There is an undeniable connection between their ascent and the founding of an independent Qatar. There were other families in the region with more links, power, and/or longevity; thus, the British identification of the al-Thanis as rulers of Qatar was far from guaranteed.
Politically, Muhammad bin Thani outmaneuvered the British to establish a place for his family as a first among equals, a status that has been repeatedly claimed by Muhammad bin Thani’s offspring.
The al-Thani family now controls most of the government’s most important agencies and reaps a disproportionate share of the country’s wealth. As the family, which at times has comprised over half the citizenry, is the principal source of political resistance to any reigning emir, both nomination and distribution are crucial means of preventing internal factionalism and strife.
