<P> The highpoint of the Sanusi influence came in the 1880s under the Grand Senussi's son, Muhammad al - Mahdi as - Senussi, who was a skilled administrator and a charismatic orator . With 146 lodges spanning the entire Sahara, he moved the Senussi capital to Kufra . Harsh Ottoman rule only fuelled the appeal of the Senussi Movement's call to repel foreign occupation . Remarkably, Mohammed al - Mahdi succeeded where so many had failed before him, securing the enduring loyalty of the Amazigh tribes of Cyrenaica . Over a 75 ‐ year period the Ottoman Turks provided 33 governors and Libya remained part of the empire--although at times virtually autonomous--until Italy invaded for the second time in 1911, as the Ottoman Empire was collapsing . </P> <P> The Italo - Turkish War was fought between the Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of Italy from September 29, 1911 to October 18, 1912 . </P> <P> As a result of this conflict, the Ottoman Turks ceded the provinces of Tripolitania, Fezzan, and Cyrenaica to Italy . These provinces together formed what became known as Libya . </P> <P> Sanjaks of the Eyalet in the mid ‐ 19th century: </P>

Which european state seized libya from the ottoman empire in 1911