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Ottoman BureaucracyPeople, places and careers in Ottoman public service

Job title

Kaymakam

District governor

Group of job titles: Provincial administration

21 officials held the job title Kaymakam. Its 100 annual entries run from 1859 to 1907 (AH 1276 to 1324). The median of the 100 recorded monthly salaries is 1,750 kuruş, against 500 kuruş for the whole collection in the same years. The median entry paid 3.3 times the collection median of its year. On average an official was paid more than 92 per cent of the other officials with a salary in the same year. Half of the officials have an entry in it in no more than 2 different years, and a quarter in 6 or more. It was the first title on record for 14 per cent of the officials and the last for 57 per cent. The entries name 44 places. The place with the largest number of officials is Çorlu, with 2.

Officials
21
Years on recordAH 1276 to 1324, 42 years with an entry
1859 to 1907
Median monthly salary3.35× the collection median of the same years (500 kuruş)
1,750 kuruş
Places with officials
44
First job title on recordfor 3 of the 21 officials
14%

Profile of the group: Provincial administration

No source read describes Kaymakam by itself, so this is the profile of its group of job titles.

Officials of provincial administration. Under the provincial law of 1864 a province (vilayet) was divided into sancaks under a mutasarrıf, kazas under a kaymakam, and nahiyes under a nahiye müdürü.

Requirements for entry

  • kaymakams were usually chosen from graduates of the Mekteb-i Mülkiyye, the school opened in 1859 to train district governors and directors of districts and of finance

Sources

  1. Akyıldız, Ali (2019). Mekteb-i Mülkiyye. TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, supplement vol. 2 (revised third printing), 238-240. Online copy (read 14 October 2026).Pages or part: 238. Used for: requirements for entry.
  2. Örenç, Ali Fuat (2020). Mutasarrıf. TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, vol. 31, 377-379. Online copy (read 14 October 2026).Pages or part: 378. Used for: summary.
  3. Özkaya, Yücel (2022). Kaymakam. TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, vol. 25, 84-85. Online copy (read 14 October 2026).Pages or part: 84-85. Used for: summary, requirements for entry.
All years

Monthly salary each year

The median of the 100 recorded monthly salaries is 1,750 kuruş, the mean 1,705 kuruş.
05001,0001,5001863/64AH 12801868/69AH 12851873/74AH 12901878AH 12951882/83AH 13001887/88AH 13051892/93AH 13101897/98AH 13151902/03AH 1320Median 1,350 kuruş in 1874/75Kaymakam, median of years with 5 or more salariesMean of the same yearsWhole collectionFewer than 5 salaries, not joined to the lineAbove the scale

The same numbers as a table
Monthly salary each year in kuruş, Kaymakam
YearRecorded salariesMedianMeanLower quartileUpper quartileMedian of the whole collection
1859/6011,2501,2501,2501,250500
1867/6822,3752,3752,187.52,562.5600
1868/6942,2502,3251,9502,625600
1869/7031,8002,1001,6502,400600
1870/7112,0002,0002,0002,000600
1871/7212,0002,0002,0002,000550
1872/7341,9002,0251,8002,125550
1873/7422,1502,1501,9752,325500
1874/7551,3501,4441,2001,750535
1875/7641,5001,592.51,1801,912.5530
1876/7721,4351,4351,277.51,592.5575
1877/7811,7501,7501,7501,750560
187831,2501,666.671,2501,875600
1878/7931,5001,5001,3751,625600
1879/8041,6251,618.751,156.252,087.5500
1880/8121,2501,2501,2501,250500
1881/8241,2501,253.751,237.51,266.25500
1882/8331,2501,2501,2501,250500
1883/8431,2501,416.671,2501,500500
1884/8521,7501,7501,7501,750500
1885/8621,5001,5001,3751,625500
1886/8731,7501,583.331,5001,750500
1887/8841,7501,6251,6251,750500
1888/8931,7501,583.331,5001,750500
1889/9021,7501,7501,7501,750500
1890/9121,7501,7501,7501,750500
1891/9221,7501,7501,7501,750500
1892/9321,7501,7501,7501,750500
1893/9421,7501,7501,7501,750500
1894/9521,5001,5001,3751,625500
1895/9621,5001,5001,3751,625500
1896/9721,8751,8751,562.52,187.5500
1897/9821,7501,7501,5002,000500
1898/9921,7501,7501,5002,000500
1899/190021,7501,7501,5002,000500
1900/0121,7501,7501,5002,000500
1901/0221,7501,7501,5002,000500
1902/0321,7501,7501,5002,000500
1903/0421,8751,8751,687.52,062.5475
1904/0521,912.51,912.51,743.752,081.25450
1905/0612,2502,2502,2502,250475
1906/0712,2502,2502,2502,250450

Salaries are nominal monthly amounts in kuruş, as assigned. The thick line is the median of each year and the thin line the mean. A year with fewer than 5 recorded salaries is drawn as an open mark and is not joined to the line.

Pay against the whole collection

Officials by their median monthly salary in this job
Officials of this jobWhole collection
33%57%10%01002003004005007501,0001,5002,500

21 officials with a salary, each counted once in the band of the median of the official's salaries in this job. A bar runs from its number to the next; the last is 2,500 kuruş and more. Most officials (57%) are in the band 1,500 to 2,500 kuruş.

The same numbers as a table
Officials of Kaymakam by median monthly salary
Median monthly salary, kuruşOfficialsShareWhole collection
0 to 10000%3%
100 to 20000%10%
200 to 30000%17%
300 to 40000%18%
400 to 50000%17%
500 to 75000%23%
750 to 1,00000%5%
1,000 to 1,500733%4%
1,500 to 2,5001257%2%
2,500 and more210%1%

The median of the 100 recorded monthly salaries of this job is 1,750 kuruş. In the same years the whole collection paid a median of 500 kuruş. The median entry paid 3.35× the collection median of its year, and the middle half of the entries between 2.5× and 3.5×. On average an official of this job was paid more than 92% of the other paid officials of the same year.

Times the collection median3.35×0.25×0.5×1×2×4×8×Share of paid officials earning less92%0%25%50%75%100%

The dot is the median, the box the middle half of the entries. Dashed lines: the collection median of the same years (1×) and the middle of the paid officials (50%).

Where the job was held

All years
44 places with officials on record, 44 of them with a position on the map. A larger dot means more officials.
Seat of a province (vilayet) Seat of a sancak District (kaza)
ÇorluGotse Delchev (Nevrekop)Melnik (Menlik)VizeAlaşehirBanja Luka (Banaluka)Bijelo Polje (Akova)Blagoevgrad (Yukarı Cuma)2 officials1 official

Career paths: the titles just before and after

The number is the officials who made the move. Under it, the median change of the monthly salary: the first salary of the later title less the last salary of the earlier one, where at least 5 moves have both.

Held just before

The title of the entries just before a run of Kaymakam. Pay: the change on moving from that title to Kaymakam. The 8 titles with most officials, of 25 moves in all.

  1. Aşar Memurutithe official4pay +450 kuruş (+50%)
  2. Asar Muduru2
  3. Belediye Riyaseti2
  4. Kaza Muduru2
  5. 1. Müdürdirector of the first grade1
  6. 2. Müdürdirector of the second grade1
  7. Asar Eminligi1
  8. Başkomiserchief police commissioner1

Held just after

The title of the entries just after a run of Kaymakam. Pay: the change on moving from Kaymakam to that title. The 8 titles with most officials, of 17 moves in all.

  1. Aşar Memurutithe official2
  2. Asar Muduru2
  3. 2. Müdürdirector of the second grade1
  4. Asar Eminligi1
  5. Asar Nezareti1
  6. DH Tahrirat Kalemi1
  7. Emlak Baskatip Muavini1
  8. Meclis Azaligi1

Of the 27 moves shown, 4 cross at least one year without an annual entry; nothing is known about those years. Two posts held in the same years are not counted as a move.

Time in the job

Years with an entry in the job
2 yearsmedian over 21 officials
A quarter of the officials
6 years or moreupper quartile
Most years of one official
32 years
  1. First job title on recordthe first year with an entry with a job title has it14%3 officials
  2. Last job title on recordthe last such year has it57%12 officials
  3. No other job titlein the whole record0%0 officials
  4. One place in the jobof 18 officials with a place recorded56%10 officials

Years are years with an annual entry in the job, each counted once for an official. They need not follow one another, and nothing is known about a year without an entry. With two posts in the first or last year, both count.

Who held the job

Officials of this jobWhole collection

Community

21 officials with it recorded.

  1. Muslim (Müslüman)86%18
  2. Armenian Christian (Ermeni)10%2
  3. Greek Orthodox Christian (Rum)5%1

Age at the first annual entry in the job

21 officials with it recorded.

  1. under 150%0
  2. 15 to 195%1
  3. 20 to 245%1
  4. 25 to 295%1
  5. 30 to 3419%4
  6. 35 to 3924%5
  7. 40 and over43%9

Province of birth

21 officials with it recorded. 4 other values not shown.

  1. Istanbul (Dersaadet) province29%6
  2. Ankara province10%2
  3. Beirut (Beyrut) province10%2
  4. Sivas province10%2
  5. Trabzon province10%2
  6. Aleppo (Halep) province5%1
  7. Eastern Rumelia (Rumeli-i Şarkî) province5%1
  8. Ioannina (Yanya) province5%1

Schooling

21 officials with it recorded. An official can have several, so the shares add up to more than 100%. The groups of the schools recorded for each official.

  1. Primary52%11
  2. Rüşdiye29%6
  3. Higher or professional14%3
  4. Other named school5%1

Languages

21 officials with it recorded. An official can have several, so the shares add up to more than 100%.

  1. Turkish95%20
  2. Arabic29%6
  3. French14%3
  4. Greek (Rum)10%2
  5. Persian10%2
  6. Albanian5%1
  7. Armenian5%1
  8. Bulgarian5%1

Qualification

21 officials with it recorded. A diploma, certificate, training or decoration (nişan) recorded in the schooling or the work.

  1. No76%16
  2. Yes24%5

Officials on record each year

The fullest year is 1874/75 (AH 1291) with 5 officials. Years with an annual entry: 42.
0123451863/64AH 12801868/69AH 12851873/74AH 12901878AH 12951882/83AH 13001887/88AH 13051892/93AH 13101897/98AH 13151902/03AH 13205 in 1874/75Recorded in an earlier year tooFirst recorded in this year

The same numbers as a table
Officials on record each year, Kaymakam
YearOfficials on recordFirst recordedAnnual entries
1859/60 (AH 1276)111
1867/68 (AH 1284)222
1868/69 (AH 1285)424
1869/70 (AH 1286)313
1870/71 (AH 1287)101
1871/72 (AH 1288)101
1872/73 (AH 1289)434
1873/74 (AH 1290)202
1874/75 (AH 1291)535
1875/76 (AH 1292)414
1876/77 (AH 1293)212
1877/78 (AH 1294)101
1878 (AH 1295)313
1878/79 (AH 1296)303
1879/80 (AH 1297)424
1880/81 (AH 1298)202
1881/82 (AH 1299)404
1882/83 (AH 1300)313
1883/84 (AH 1301)303
1884/85 (AH 1302)202
1885/86 (AH 1303)202
1886/87 (AH 1304)313
1887/88 (AH 1305)414
1888/89 (AH 1306)303
1889/90 (AH 1307)202
1890/91 (AH 1308)202
1891/92 (AH 1309)202
1892/93 (AH 1310)202
1893/94 (AH 1311)202
1894/95 (AH 1312)212
1895/96 (AH 1313)202
1896/97 (AH 1314)202
1897/98 (AH 1315)202
1898/99 (AH 1316)202
1899/1900 (AH 1317)202
1900/01 (AH 1318)202
1901/02 (AH 1319)202
1902/03 (AH 1320)202
1903/04 (AH 1321)202
1904/05 (AH 1322)202
1905/06 (AH 1323)101
1906/07 (AH 1324)101

An official is counted once in a year. First recorded is the first year in which the collection has an annual entry of the official on this page. It is not a hiring date.

Places

Show the other 19 places

Ottoman officials recorded

21 officials, the one with most annual entries first.

Officials of Kaymakam
OfficialYearsAnnual entriesKuruş a monthBirthplace
Ahmet Nuri Bey1874 to 1907321,120 to 2,500Istanbul (Dersaadet)
Ahmet Faik Bey1894 to 1905111,250 to 1,575Plovdiv (Filibe)
Mustafa Necip Bey1867 to 1886111,250 to 2,250Istanbul (Dersaadet)
Haci Mustafa Efendi1874 to 188991,200 to 2,500Niğde
Abdulgani Efendi1886 to 189481,750Damascus (Şam)
Halil Fahri Bey1867 to 187561,800 to 3,000Istanbul (Dersaadet)
Hafiz Mehmet Sukru Efendi1868 to 188541,500 to 1,800Trabzon
Ahmet Semsettin Efendi1872 to 187531,750 to 2,500Istanbul (Dersaadet)
Hacı Halil Efendi1874 to 187821,350 to 1,750Sivas
Mehmet Tahir Efendi1879 to 18822875 to 1,315Yozgat
Nuri Bey1882 to 188421,250Ioannina (Yanya)
Aziz Mahmut Bey1887/8811,750Istanbul (Dersaadet)
Hacı Mahmut Rifat Efendi1872/7311,800Aleppo (Halep)
Haci Tahsin Efendi1876/7711,120Trabzon
İskender Efendi1879/8012,350Lubnan
Mehmed Nafiz Efendi1859/6011,250Taşköprü
Mehmet Nuri Bey1875/7611,800Istanbul (Dersaadet)
Şefkat Bedros Efendi1869/7011,500Tokat
Susa Selim Nikoli Efendi1868/6912,500Beirut (Beyrut)
Vartan Yıldızyan187811,250Kayseri
Yusuf Agah Bey1872/7312,000Serres (Siroz)

Years run from the first to the last annual entry. An official without a recorded name is listed after the named officials.

How to read these records: years and calendars, what first recorded means, gaps between annual entries, and salaries.

Subjects