(1902–1932) of
Otaibah and
Gertrude Bell during the
Arab Revolt, Basrah, 1916 after its surrender during the
Ha'il campaign of 1921 Following the capture of Riyadh, many former supporters of the House of Saud rallied to Ibn Saud's call to arms. He was a charismatic leader and kept his men supplied with arms. Over the next two years, he and his forces recaptured almost half of the Nejd from the Rashidis. which he held until 1913 when an Anglo-Ottoman agreement was signed. Ibn Saud's victory in
Rawdat Muhanna, in which Abdulaziz Al Rashid died, ended the Ottoman presence in Nejd and
Qassim by the end of October 1906. This victory also weakened the alliance between Mubarak Al Sabah, ruler of Kuwait, and Ibn Saud due to the former's concerns about the increase of Saudi power in the region. However, due to the outbreak of
World War I, this agreement which would have made Ibn Saud the wali or governor of Najd did not materialize, and because of the Ottomans' attempt to develop a connection with Ibn Saud the British government soon established diplomatic relations with him. Similar diplomatic missions were established with any Arabian power who might have been able to unify and stabilize the region. The British entered into the
Treaty of Darin in December 1915, which made the lands of the House of Saud a British
protectorate and attempted to define the boundaries of the developing Saudi state. In exchange, Ibn Saud pledged to again make war against Ibn Rashid, who was an ally of the Ottomans. . The image includes
Sheikh Khaz'al, Emir of
Arabistan, Ibn Saud,
Sir Percy Cox, along with Saudi Arabia dignitaries and other British officials During this period, Ibn Saud also sought to strengthen his position through regional alliances.
Sheikh Khaz'al Emir of
Arabistan advised the Ottoman authorities that Ibn Saud was more valuable to them than Al-Ahsa and Qatif, urging them to support him as a strategic asset. As part of his diplomatic engagements, Ibn Saud traveled to
Mohammerah as a guest of
Sheikh Khaz'al. The two leaders arrived in Basra on the evening of November 26. The next morning, the British senior political officer, accompanied by two high-ranking British military representatives of the stationed army commander in Basra, boarded Sheikh Khaz’al's ship and presented Ibn Saud with the Sword of Honor along with a welcome letter from the army commander. He spent the day inspecting the British military base camps, their organization, and the latest military equipment, including warplanes, which he showed great interest in. , Ibn Saud, and
Sir Percy Cox visiting the British army in Basra, during the
Arab revolt, 1916 The British Foreign Office had previously begun to support
Hussein bin Ali, Sharif of Mecca and Emir of the Hejaz, by sending
T. E. Lawrence to him in 1915. The Saudi Ikhwan began to conflict with Hussein in 1917, just as his sons
Abdullah and
Faisal entered Damascus. The Treaty of Darin remained in effect until superseded by the
Jeddah conference of 1927 and the Dammam conference of 1952, during both of which Ibn Saud extended his boundaries past the Anglo-Ottoman Blue Line. After Darin, he stockpiled the weapons and supplies which the British provided him, including a 'tribute' of £5,000 per month. On 20 May 1927, the British government signed the
Treaty of Jeddah, which abolished the Darin protection agreement and recognized the independence of the Hejaz and Nejd, with Ibn Saud as their ruler. For the next five years, Ibn Saud administered the two parts of his dual kingdom as separate units. He also succeeded his father, Abdul Rahman, as Imam.{{cite thesis|author=Isadore Jay Gold|title=The United States and Saudi Arabia, 1933–1953: Post-Imperial Diplomacy and the Legacy of British Power|page=18|degree=PhD|location=
Columbia University|id=|year=1984 the Emir of
Arabistan in 1923 With international recognition and support, Ibn Saud continued to consolidate his power. By 1927, his forces had overrun most of the central
Arabian Peninsula, but the alliance between the Ikhwan and the Al Saud collapsed when Ibn Saud forbade further raiding. The few portions of central Arabia that had not been overrun by the Saudi-Ikhwan forces had treaties with London, and Ibn Saud was sober enough to see the folly of provoking the British by pushing into these areas. This did not sit well with the Ikhwan, who had been taught that all non-Wahhabis were infidels. In order to settle down the problems with the
Ikhwan leaders, including
Faisal Al Duwaish,
Sultan bin Bajad and
Dhaydan bin Hithlain, Ibn Saud organized a meeting in Riyadh in 1928, but none of them attended the meeting.{{cite journal|author=Abdulaziz Al Fahad|title=The 'Imama vs. the 'Iqal: Hadari-Bedouin Conflict and the Formation of the Saudi State On 23 September 1932, Ibn Saud formally united his realm into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with himself as its king.{{cite thesis Ibn Saud had to first eliminate the right of his own father in order to rule, and then distance and contain the ambitions of his five brothers, particularly his brother Muhammad, who had fought with him during the battles and conquests that gave birth to the state.{{cite journal|author=Mai Yamani|author-link=Mai Yamani|title=From fragility to stability: a survival strategy for the Saudi monarchy|volume=2 ==Oil discovery and his rule==