The opening of the
Suez Canal in 1869 gave a new strategic importance to this region, stoking Ottoman interests in establishing effective control as a result of the revival of trade. In 1871,
Midhat Pasha invaded
al-Hasa and restored Ottoman control. When he incorporated this desert region into the Ottoman realm, Midhat Pasha had granted the local notables complete exemptions from taxation, except for the
zakat. In 1872,
Qatar was designated a
kaza under the Sanjak of the Najd. In March 1893, at the
Battle of Al Wajbah ( west of
Doha), Shaikh
Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani defeated the Ottomans. Although Qatar did not gain full independence, the result of the battle forced a treaty that would later form the basis of Qatar emerging as an autonomous separate country within the empire. The Sultan recognized
Abdullah II Al-Sabah as the
kaymakam of
Kuwait as a subprovince of al-Ahsa, formally acknowledging that Kuwait was a part of the Ottoman Empire and that it was ruled by the
Sabah family. Despite the Kuwaiti government's desire to either be independent or under British rule, the British concurred with the Ottoman Empire in defining Kuwait as an
autonomous caza of the Ottoman Empire. This would last until World War I. In 1913,
Ibn Saud launched an attack on
Hofuf, where 1,200 Turkish troops had been stationed since the province's annexation in 1871. The Ottoman garrison was expelled from Hasa, and the territory fell to the Al Saud. In July 1914, the Ottoman Sultan issued an Imperial "
firman" decree, officially declaring Ibn Saud as the Wali of Najd. This situation was dramatically changed by the outbreak of
World War I, and on 26 December 1915 Britain recognised Najd, Hasa, Qatif and
Jubail as Saudi possessions, as part of the
Anglo-Saudi Treaty. ==Administrative divisions==