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Ottoman BureaucracyPeople, places and careers in Ottoman public service

Job title

Mekâtib Memuru

Letters official

Group of job titles: Postal service and dispatch

Stored spellings: Mekatib Memuru; mekatib memuru

119 officials held the job title Mekâtib Memuru. Its 395 annual entries run from 1857 to 1911 (AH 1274 to 1329). The median of the 395 recorded monthly salaries is 300 kuruş, against 500 kuruş for the whole collection in the same years. The median entry paid 60 per cent of the collection median of its year. On average an official was paid more than 28 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 4 or more. It was the first title on record for 56 per cent of the officials and the last for 55 per cent. No other title is recorded for 35 per cent of them. The title most often held just before it and the title most often held just after it are the same, Muhabere Memuru (14 and 17 officials). The entries name 16 places. The place with the largest number of officials is Istanbul, with 83.

Officials
119
Years on recordAH 1274 to 1329, 53 years with an entry
1857 to 1911
Median monthly salary0.6× the collection median of the same years (500 kuruş)
300 kuruş
Places with officials
16
First job title on recordfor 67 of the 119 officials
56%

What the job was

Official for letters (mekâtib). The postal regulations set simple letters (mekâtib-i âdiye) apart from registered letters and valuables, and on roads without a regular courier only simple letters were accepted.

Sources

  1. Okan, Ayşegül (2003). The Ottoman postal and telegraph services in the last quarter of the nineteenth century. MA thesis, Boğaziçi University, Atatürk Institute for Modern Turkish History.Pages or part: 21. Used for: summary.
All years

Monthly salary each year

The median of the 395 recorded monthly salaries is 300 kuruş, the mean 347 kuruş.
02004006008001858/59AH 12751863/64AH 12801868/69AH 12851873/74AH 12901878AH 12951882/83AH 13001887/88AH 13051892/93AH 13101897/98AH 13151902/03AH 13201907/08AH 1325Median 300 kuruş in 1909/10Mekâtib Memuru, 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, Mekâtib Memuru
YearRecorded salariesMedianMeanLower quartileUpper quartileMedian of the whole collection
1857/58150505050475
1858/59175757575500
1859/60175757575500
1862/631260260260260500
1863/641260260260260500
1864/651260260260260625
1865/661260260260260650
1866/671260260260260600
1867/681375375375375600
1868/691500500500500600
1869/701300300300300600
1870/711300300300300600
1871/722417.5417.5326.25508.75550
1872/731250250250250550
1873/743450483.33425525500
1874/753450483.33425525535
1875/762600600500700530
1876/7711,0501,0501,0501,050575
1877/781200200200200560
187811,5001,5001,5001,500600
1878/7911,5001,5001,5001,500600
1880/811400400400400500
1881/822250250175325500
1882/834325300200425500
1883/844325350250425500
1884/856250308.33250362.5500
1885/866250308.33250362.5500
1886/875300340250400500
1887/887400407.14350450500
1888/897450485.71400575500
1889/906400408.33325512.5500
1890/916400408.33325512.5500
1891/927250271.43140350500
1892/935450496130600500
1893/945650576180700500
1894/958475512.5187.5725500
1895/968475530.62198.75750500
1896/9711300427.27200607.5500
1897/9812260402.5200612.5500
1898/9915235327195400500
1899/190016310.5358.94180425500
1900/0121300327.29150400500
1901/0228300325.46147.5405500
1902/0335235299.23140400500
1903/0429275339.86150450475
1904/0529295334.17140450450
1905/0629300308.79150420475
1906/0713300315.38100400450
1907/0812110201.67100300300
1908/0918150197.22112.5300350
1909/109300300200400462.5
1910/113200250175300500
19111400400400400500

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. The chart ends in 1910/11 (AH 1328): from 1911 to 1918 the whole collection has only 169 recorded salaries in all. The table gives those years too.

Pay against the whole collection

Officials by their median monthly salary in this job
Officials of this jobWhole collection
4%38%15%18%15%8%2%01002003004005007501,0001,5002,500

119 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 (38%) are in the band 100 to 200 kuruş.

The same numbers as a table
Officials of Mekâtib Memuru by median monthly salary
Median monthly salary, kuruşOfficialsShareWhole collection
0 to 10054%3%
100 to 2004538%10%
200 to 3001815%17%
300 to 4002218%18%
400 to 5001815%17%
500 to 75098%23%
750 to 1,00000%5%
1,000 to 1,50022%4%
1,500 to 2,50000%2%
2,500 and more00%1%

The median of the 395 recorded monthly salaries of this job is 300 kuruş. In the same years the whole collection paid a median of 500 kuruş. The median entry paid 0.6× the collection median of its year, and the middle half of the entries between 0.36× and 0.9×. On average an official of this job was paid more than 28% of the other paid officials of the same year.

Times the collection median0.6×0.25×0.5×1×2×4×Share of paid officials earning less28%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
16 places with officials on record, 16 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) Other place Office or region
Istanbul (Dersaadet)Damascus (Şam)Thessaloniki (Selanik)AnkaraIzmir (İzmir)AdanaAydınBeirut (Beyrut)83 officials1 official

The 10 places with most officials, of 16, all years
PlaceOfficialsRemark
Istanbul (Dersaadet)83
Galata16
Damascus (Şam)8
Thessaloniki (Selanik)3
Ankara2
Izmir (İzmir)2
Yeni camii postanesi2
Adana1
Aksaray1
Aydın1

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 Mekâtib Memuru. Pay: the change on moving from that title to Mekâtib Memuru. The 8 titles with most officials, of 54 moves in all.

  1. Muhabere Memurucommunications official (telegraph operator)14pay 0 kuruş (0%)
  2. Posta Memurupostal official8pay 0 kuruş (0%)
  3. Müvezzideliverer (postman)5pay 0 kuruş (0%)
  4. Muhasebe Kalemiaccounts office4
  5. Kontrol Kalemicontrol office2
  6. Mevrude Memuruofficial for incoming items2
  7. Mukayyitregistry clerk2
  8. Pul Kitabetistamp clerkship2

Held just after

The title of the entries just after a run of Mekâtib Memuru. Pay: the change on moving from Mekâtib Memuru to that title. The 8 titles with most officials, of 55 moves in all.

  1. Muhabere Memurucommunications official (telegraph operator)17pay +115 kuruş (+51%)
  2. Havalename Kalemimoney order office3
  3. Posta Memurupostal official3
  4. 3. Müdürdirector of the third grade2
  5. Muhasebe Kalemiaccounts office2
  6. Mukayyitregistry clerk2
  7. Seyyar Memurtravelling postal official2
  8. Tefrik Odasısorting room2

Of the 73 moves shown, 8 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 119 officials
A quarter of the officials
4 years or moreupper quartile
Most years of one official
22 years
  1. First job title on recordthe first year with an entry with a job title has it56%67 officials
  2. Last job title on recordthe last such year has it55%66 officials
  3. No other job titlein the whole record35%42 officials
  4. One place in the jobof 119 officials with a place recorded96%114 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

119 officials with it recorded.

  1. Muslim (Müslüman)93%111
  2. Armenian Christian (Ermeni)3%4
  3. Jewish (Musevi)3%3
  4. Latin Catholic (Latin)0.8%1

Age at the first annual entry in the job

119 officials with it recorded.

  1. under 150.8%1
  2. 15 to 1923%27
  3. 20 to 2446%55
  4. 25 to 2917%20
  5. 30 to 348%9
  6. 35 to 393%3
  7. 40 and over3%4

Province of birth

117 officials with it recorded. 12 other values not shown.

  1. Istanbul (Dersaadet) province61%71
  2. Syria (Suriye) province7%8
  3. Mamuretülaziz province6%7
  4. Eastern Rumelia (Rumeli-i Şarkî) province3%4
  5. Thessaloniki (Selanik) province3%4
  6. Ankara province3%3
  7. Hüdavendigâr province3%3
  8. Kastamonu province3%3

Schooling

119 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. Rüşdiye57%68
  2. Higher or professional20%24
  3. Darüşşafaka17%20
  4. Primary9%11
  5. Community school6%7
  6. İdadi4%5
  7. Other named school3%3
  8. Foreign school2%2

Languages

117 officials with it recorded. An official can have several, so the shares add up to more than 100%. 1 other value not shown.

  1. Turkish100%117
  2. French40%47
  3. Arabic10%12
  4. Greek (Rum)9%10
  5. Armenian3%4
  6. Bulgarian3%3
  7. English2%2
  8. Persian2%2

Qualification

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

  1. No69%82
  2. Yes31%37

Officials on record each year

The fullest year is 1902/03 (AH 1320) with 35 officials. Years with an annual entry: 53.
0102030401858/59AH 12751863/64AH 12801868/69AH 12851873/74AH 12901878AH 12951882/83AH 13001887/88AH 13051892/93AH 13101897/98AH 13151902/03AH 13201907/08AH 132535 in 1902/03Recorded in an earlier year tooFirst recorded in this year

The same numbers as a table
Officials on record each year, Mekâtib Memuru
YearOfficials on recordFirst recordedAnnual entries
1857/58 (AH 1274)111
1858/59 (AH 1275)101
1859/60 (AH 1276)101
1862/63 (AH 1279)111
1863/64 (AH 1280)101
1864/65 (AH 1281)101
1865/66 (AH 1282)101
1866/67 (AH 1283)101
1867/68 (AH 1284)101
1868/69 (AH 1285)101
1869/70 (AH 1286)111
1870/71 (AH 1287)101
1871/72 (AH 1288)212
1872/73 (AH 1289)111
1873/74 (AH 1290)313
1874/75 (AH 1291)303
1875/76 (AH 1292)202
1876/77 (AH 1293)101
1877/78 (AH 1294)111
1878 (AH 1295)101
1878/79 (AH 1296)101
1880/81 (AH 1298)111
1881/82 (AH 1299)212
1882/83 (AH 1300)424
1883/84 (AH 1301)414
1884/85 (AH 1302)626
1885/86 (AH 1303)616
1886/87 (AH 1304)505
1887/88 (AH 1305)737
1888/89 (AH 1306)717
1889/90 (AH 1307)626
1890/91 (AH 1308)606
1891/92 (AH 1309)737
1892/93 (AH 1310)515
1893/94 (AH 1311)525
1894/95 (AH 1312)838
1895/96 (AH 1313)818
1896/97 (AH 1314)11211
1897/98 (AH 1315)12212
1898/99 (AH 1316)15415
1899/1900 (AH 1317)16316
1900/01 (AH 1318)21821
1901/02 (AH 1319)281128
1902/03 (AH 1320)351035
1903/04 (AH 1321)29229
1904/05 (AH 1322)29729
1905/06 (AH 1323)29529
1906/07 (AH 1324)13413
1907/08 (AH 1325)12712
1908/09 (AH 1326)181518
1909/10 (AH 1327)989
1910/11 (AH 1328)303
1911 (AH 1329)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.

Ottoman officials recorded

119 officials, the one with most annual entries first. The first 25 are shown, the others are under them.

Officials of Mekâtib Memuru
OfficialYearsAnnual entriesKuruş a monthBirthplace
Mustafa Zeki Efendi1882 to 190422500 to 650Kastamonu
Mehmed Cemal Efendi1873 to 190517600 to 1,500Istanbul (Dersaadet)
Mehmet Bahattin Efendi1889 to 190617100 to 315Istanbul (Dersaadet)
Ahmet Halit Efendi1893 to 190714630 to 720Istanbul (Dersaadet)
İsmail Hakkı Efendi1898 to 19079100 to 250Ankara
Mehmet Kamil Efendi1880 to 18899400 to 450Istanbul (Dersaadet)
Salih Kemal Efendi1897 to 19069200 to 500Istanbul (Dersaadet)
Viçin Efendi1894 to 19039100 to 190Ankara
Mehmet Fuat Efendi1898 to 1906840 to 300Istanbul (Dersaadet)
Aleksan Efendi1884 to 18917200 to 400Istanbul (Dersaadet)
Hacı Mahmut Ziya Efendi1899 to 19067371 to 450Istanbul (Dersaadet)
Mehmet Bahaeddin Efendi1899 to 19067250Ankara
Mehmet Kamil Bey1862 to 18697260 to 500Bursa
Ebussuud Efendi1900 to 19066150Damascus (Şam)
İbrahim Efendi1901 to 19076500 to 600Kazanlak (Kızanlık)
Mehmet Emin Efendi1869 to 18766235 to 400Istanbul (Dersaadet)
Mehmet Selahattin Efendi1894 to 19006300 to 400Istanbul (Dersaadet)
Mustafa İhsan Efendi1892 to 189861,080 to 1,200Istanbul (Dersaadet)
Ömer Şükrü Efendi1900 to 19066400 to 500Istanbul (Dersaadet)
Hasan Kemal Efendi1896 to 19015200 to 220Istanbul (Dersaadet)
İbrahim Edhem Efendi1901 to 19065100Përmet (Premedi)
İbrahim Seyfi Efendi1901 to 19065100 to 220Istanbul (Dersaadet)
İsmail İsmet Efendi1887 to 18925300Istanbul (Dersaadet)
Marko Efendi1901 to 19065450Istanbul (Dersaadet)
Mühtedi Ali Behçet Efendi1901 to 19065400Plovdiv (Filibe)
Show the other 94 officials
Officials of Mekâtib Memuru, continued
OfficialYearsAnnual entriesKuruş a monthBirthplace
Mustafa Asım Efendi1900 to 19055420 to 500Istanbul (Dersaadet)
Süleyman Şevki Efendi1901 to 19065140Kemaliye (Eğin)
Abdullah Hilmi Efendi1905 to 19094300Kemaliye (Eğin)
Ali Nureddin Efendi1902 to 19064400Istanbul (Dersaadet)
Ali Rıza Efendi1902 to 19064100 to 140Kemaliye (Eğin)
Dikran Arakilyan Efendi1887 to 18914700Istanbul (Dersaadet)
Hasan Memduh Bey1902 to 19064200Istanbul (Dersaadet)
Hasan Şevki Efendi1897 to 1901440 to 100Istanbul (Dersaadet)
İsmail Nuri Efendi1900 to 1904450 to 150Istanbul (Dersaadet)
Mehmed Rıza Efendi1889 to 18934400 to 450Safranbolu
Mehmet Ali Efendi1896 to 19004300 to 500Damascus (Şam)
Mehmet Hayri Efendi1885 to 18894250 to 400Istanbul (Dersaadet)
Osman Nuri Efendi1901 to 19054300 to 350Larissa (Yenişehir-i Fener)
Alaaddin Efendi1901 to 19043100Istanbul (Dersaadet)
Ali Haydar Efendi1901 to 19043200 to 250Istanbul (Dersaadet)
Hüseyin Halil Efendi1904 to 19073100 to 140Gelibolu
İsmail Hakkı Efendi1903 to 19063100 to 140Istanbul (Dersaadet)
Mahir Efendi1898 to 19013400Bandırma
Mehmet Midhat Efendi1905 to 19083300 to 400Bijelo Polje (Akova)
Mustafa Efendi1909 to 19113400Kemaliye (Eğin)
Ömer Fevzi Efendi1872 to 18753250 to 450Kemaliye (Eğin)
Ömer Neşet Efendi1904 to 19073640 to 650Istanbul (Dersaadet)
Salih Hulusi Efendi1857 to 1860350 to 75Istanbul (Dersaadet)
Yusuf Ziyaettin Efendi1901 to 19043500Istanbul (Dersaadet)
Abdullah Efendi1905 to 19072300 to 340Gebze
Ahmet Nedim Efendi1909 to 19112150Istanbul (Dersaadet)
Ahmet Rüşti Efendi1907 to 19092300Edessa (Vodina)
Ahmet Selahattin Efendi1909 to 19112200Istanbul (Dersaadet)
Hacı Osman Nureddin Efendi1900 to 19022385Istanbul (Dersaadet)
Halil Edip Efendi1907 to 19092300Kastamonu
İsmail Hakkı Efendi1906 to 19082400Istanbul (Dersaadet)
Mehmet Bahaeddin Efendi1904 to 19062130 to 150Istanbul (Dersaadet)
Mehmet Durak Bey1901 to 19032350Istanbul (Dersaadet)
Mehmet İhsan Efendi1900 to 19022125Istanbul (Dersaadet)
Mehmet Kâzım Efendi1906 to 19082100Istanbul (Dersaadet)
Mehmet Mazhar Efendi1891 to 1893270 to 100Istanbul (Dersaadet)
Mehmet Niyazi Efendi1883 to 18852250Istanbul (Dersaadet)
Mehmet Tevfik Efendi1900 to 19022300Damascus (Şam)
Mehmet Vamık Efendi1902 to 19042125Pristina (Priştine)
Mustafa Hamdi Efendi1904 to 19062400 to 420Arapgir
Mustafa Nuri Efendi1904 to 19062100 to 130Istanbul (Dersaadet)
Mustafa Sıtkı Efendi1906 to 19082100Istanbul (Dersaadet)
Ömer Efendi1895 to 18972195Istanbul (Dersaadet)
Ömer Efendi1908 to 19102150 to 400Kütahya
Süleyman Sıtkı Efendi1884 to 18862250Thessaloniki (Selanik)
Abdülkadir Efendi1908/091300Damascus (Şam)
Abdullah Ziya Efendi1908/091150Istanbul (Dersaadet)
Ahmet Cevat Efendi1909/101200Istanbul (Dersaadet)
Ahmet Fevzi Efendi1908/091150Varna
AHMET MİTHAT EFENDİ1904/051300Thessaloniki (Selanik)
Ahmet Şevki Efendi1898/991200Istanbul (Dersaadet)
Ahmet Tevfik Efendi1907/081120Istanbul (Dersaadet)
Aleksander Corci Efendi1909/101400Sipka
Ali Hayri Efendi1902/031100Istanbul (Dersaadet)
Ali Rıza Efendi1900/011350Bitola (Manastır)
DANYAL HAİM EFENDİ1902/031100Istanbul (Dersaadet)
Hacı Mehmet Fethi Efendi1908/091150Plovdiv (Filibe)
Halid Niyazi Efendi1908/091100Istanbul (Dersaadet)
Halit Efendi1902/031300Istanbul (Dersaadet)
Hasan Nazmi Efendi1908/091150Izmir (İzmir)
Hasan Şükrü Efendi1908/091500Istanbul (Dersaadet)
Hayret Lütfi Efendi1909/101300Alexandria (İskenderiye)
Hüseyin Besim Efendi1871/721600Kemah
Hüseyin Fevzi Efendi1907/081100Istanbul (Dersaadet)
İbrahim Halil Efendi1904/051100Aleppo (Halep)
İhsan Efendi1908/091150Batumi (Batum)
İsmail Hakkı Efendi1906/071100Istanbul (Dersaadet)
Mehmed Niyazi Efendi1882/83150Istanbul (Dersaadet)
Mehmed Şecaüddin Efendi1887/881150Istanbul (Dersaadet)
Mehmet Lütfi Efendi1907/081100Istanbul (Dersaadet)
Mehmet Refik Efendi1905/061300Istanbul (Dersaadet)
Mehmet Reşit Efendi1908/091100Istanbul (Dersaadet)
Mehmet Resmi Efendi1893/941150Damascus (Şam)
Mehmet Sait Efendi1891/921150Damascus (Şam)
Mehmet Salih Efendi1907/081100Istanbul (Dersaadet)
Mehmet Şükrü Efendi1908/091300Istanbul (Dersaadet)
Mehmet Vasıf Efendi1908/091100Istanbul (Dersaadet)
Musa Şevket Efendi1902/031350Istanbul (Dersaadet)
Mustafa Adil Efendi1902/031100Istanbul (Dersaadet)
Mustafa Atıf Efendi1908/091150Trabzon
Mustafa Efendi1891/921250Damascus (Şam)
Nazım Fehmi Efendi1909/101250Istanbul (Dersaadet)
Ömer Neşet Efendi1908/091100Istanbul (Dersaadet)
Yahya Efendi1899/19001150Damascus (Şam)
Yako Firuz Efendi1908/091100Istanbul (Dersaadet)
Yakup Celalettin Efendi1907/081100Istanbul (Dersaadet)
Yusuf Mişon Efendi1877/781200Serres (Siroz)
YUSUF ZİYAEDDİN EFENDİ1902/031150Adana
Zital Hayım Efendi1909/101400Istanbul (Dersaadet)
ZİYAETTİN EFENDİ1903/041400Dagistan
Unnamed official (0067_0249; sayfa no:495)1881 to 18876100 to 250Istanbul (Dersaadet)
Unnamed official (0067_0238; sayfa no:473)1894 to 18994150 to 200Harput
Unnamed official (149-134-263)1905 to 1907240 to 60Istanbul (Dersaadet)
Unnamed official (50_15; 27)1888/891600Plovdiv (Filibe)

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