However, most of the routine and normalcy of life today in Qatar is based on modern day changes. New foods have been introduced thanks to new technologies and economic wealth, cell phone and other technology is the norm for most people, and modern amenities from air conditioning to transportation makes life much simpler today that it was in the past.
The oil and natural gas industries has also given many people regular jobs that run on a schedule giving most people defined working hours and free time. These industries have also urbanized the people so today nearly everyone in the country lives in Doha or another urban area, including the sprawl from the capital. This urban lifestyle also affects the way of life to a great degree.
Today the way of life is based on modern technology and economic success, but the culture remains rooted in the past with family, religion, and society at the heart of the country.
Identity
The people of Qatar identify in a number of ways and, among themselves, this tends to begin with their tribal or ethnic affiliation. This divides the people into the Bedouin, the Abd, and the Hadar people, which are defined primarily by ethnicity, but also by history. Of these people, the Bedouin people have the longest history in the region and are ethnically Arab, the Abd are people of African ancestry, and the Hadar are people with Persian ancestry.