The terms Qahtanite and Qahtani refers to Arabs who originate from the southern region of the Arabian Peninsula, especially from Yemen.
According to Islamic tradition, the Qahtanis are pure Arabs, unlike the Adnanites who are "Arabized Arabs", descended from Adnan.
The Qahtani people are divided into the two subgroups of Himyar and Kahlan, with the Himyar branch known as Himyarites and the Kahlan branch as Kahlanis.
However, the distinction between Qahtanites and Adnanites is believed to be a product of the Umayyad Age, when the war of factions (al-niza al-hizbi) was raging in the young Islamic Empire
