Qatar has been inhabited for millennia. The Al Khalifa family of Bahrain dominated the area until 1868 when, at the request of Qatari nobles, the British negotiated the termination of the Bahraini claim, except for the payment of tribute. The tribute ended when the Ottoman Empire occupied Qatar in 1872. When the Ottomans left at the beginning of World War I, the British recognized the Al Thani family as the ruler. The Al Thani family had lived in Qatar for 200 years. The 1916 treaty between the United Kingdom and the royal family was similar to those entered into by the British with other Gulf principalities.
