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Islam is the official religion of the country, and the Shari'a (Islamic Law) is the principal source of legislation in the country. The vast majority of the population are Sunni Muslims.
Excavations suggest that settlement on the peninsula date back beyond the 4 the century BC, with some estimates putting them back roughly as far as 8000Bc. For many years, the country was famous for its weaving and embroidery, and also for its pearling industry - virtually destroyed by the development of the Japanese cultured pearl industry. The discovery of oil, in 1939, thus came to an oppurtunate time, and many of those previously employed in fishing and pearling found new jobs in fledgling oil industry. Those Qataris whose ancestors were not connected to the sea come from nomadic Bedouin famalies who moved camp to camp according to the seasons, tending sheep and camels. Increasingly , and with government assistence, the majority have settled amended their lifestyles, taking up work oppurtunities in the booming economy.
