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Job title

Tahrirati Ecnebiye Kalemi

Group of job titles: Correspondence and registry

Stored spellings: Tahrirati Ecnebiye Kalemi; tahrirati ecnebiye kalemi

11 officials held the job title Tahrirati Ecnebiye Kalemi. Its 149 annual entries run from 1869 to 1909 (AH 1286 to 1326). The median of the 149 recorded monthly salaries is 725 kuruş, against 500 kuruş for the whole collection in the same years. The median entry paid 1.4 times the collection median of its year. On average an official was paid more than 63 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 10 different years, and a quarter in 16 or more. It was the first title on record for 45 per cent of the officials and the last for 27 per cent. No other title is recorded for 9 per cent of them. The entries name 2 places. The place with the largest number of officials is Istanbul, with 10.

Officials
11
Years on recordAH 1286 to 1326, 41 years with an entry
1869 to 1909
Median monthly salary1.45× the collection median of the same years (500 kuruş)
725 kuruş
Places with officials
2
First job title on recordfor 5 of the 11 officials
45%

Profile of the group: Correspondence and registry

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

Offices that wrote, copied, registered and kept the papers of a department: correspondence offices (tahrirat), the offices of the corresponding secretary (mektubi), records offices (evrak) and registrars (mukayyit).

Hard skills

  • official writing (kitabet, inşa) and fine handwriting, taught first in the offices and from 1839 in schools for officials

History

Before the reforms clerks were trained in the offices (kalem) themselves. Boys of twelve, or even seven or eight, attended an office and learned the forms of official writing from senior clerks; after three to five years without pay they became supernumeraries (mülazım) on a small salary.

Sources

  1. Akyıldız, Ali (2019). Mekteb-i Maârif-i Adliyye. TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, supplement vol. 2 (revised third printing), 236-238. Online copy (read 14 October 2026).Pages or part: 236. Used for: hard skills, history.
  2. Findley, Carter V. (1980). Bureaucratic Reform in the Ottoman Empire: The Sublime Porte, 1789-1922. Princeton: Princeton University Press.Pages or part: 78, 171-172, 199. Used for: summary.
  3. İpşirli, Mehmet (2001). Kalemiye. TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, vol. 24, 248-249. Online copy (read 14 October 2026).Pages or part: 248-249. Used for: hard skills, history.
All years

Monthly salary each year

The median of the 149 recorded monthly salaries is 725 kuruş, the mean 882 kuruş.
02004006008001,0001869/70AH 12861871/72AH 12881873/74AH 12901875/76AH 12921877/78AH 12941878/79AH 12961880/81AH 12981882/83AH 13001884/85AH 13021886/87AH 13041888/89AH 13061890/91AH 13081892/93AH 13101894/95AH 13121896/97AH 13141898/99AH 13161900/01AH 13181902/03AH 13201904/05AH 13221906/07AH 13241908/09AH 1326Median 700 kuruş in 1902/03Tahrirati Ecnebiye Kalemi, 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, Tahrirati Ecnebiye Kalemi
YearRecorded salariesMedianMeanLower quartileUpper quartileMedian of the whole collection
1869/7011,4401,4401,4401,440600
1870/7111,6001,6001,6001,600600
1871/7211,4001,4001,4001,400550
1872/7311,5701,5701,5701,570550
1873/7411,9001,9001,9001,900500
1874/7521,8751,8751,527.52,222.5535
1875/7621,9101,9101,5802,240530
1876/7748751,1804751,580575
1877/783500716.67450875560
18783500716.67450875600
1878/793500750450925600
1879/803400593.33390700500
1880/813400593.33390700500
1881/823400676.67390825500
1882/832825825612.51,037.5500
1883/842825825612.51,037.5500
1884/8529509506751,225500
1885/8629509506751,225500
1886/873600933.335501,150500
1887/883600966.675501,200500
1888/8937001,091.67687.51,300500
1889/905725835400750500
1890/915725845400750500
1891/925725855400800500
1892/935725859400800500
1893/946737.5840.83481.25787.5500
1894/958572.5740.62300860500
1895/968626831.5442.5885500
1896/977652824.14510843.5500
1897/988626739.88377.5795.25500
1898/997652817.71475843.5500
1899/19007750871.43550870500
1900/017750871.43550870500
1901/026750876.67475837.5500
1902/035700892400850500
1903/044625675487.5812.5475
1904/052725725587.5862.5450
1905/062725725587.5862.5475
1906/072750750625875450
1907/0811,0001,0001,0001,000300
1908/0911,0001,0001,0001,000350

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
9%9%27%9%27%18%01002003004005007501,0001,5002,500

11 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 (27%) are in the band 400 to 500 kuruş.

The same numbers as a table
Officials of Tahrirati Ecnebiye Kalemi by median monthly salary
Median monthly salary, kuruşOfficialsShareWhole collection
0 to 10000%3%
100 to 20000%10%
200 to 30019%17%
300 to 40019%18%
400 to 500327%17%
500 to 75019%23%
750 to 1,000327%5%
1,000 to 1,50000%4%
1,500 to 2,500218%2%
2,500 and more00%1%

The median of the 149 recorded monthly salaries of this job is 725 kuruş. In the same years the whole collection paid a median of 500 kuruş. The median entry paid 1.45× the collection median of its year, and the middle half of the entries between 0.8× and 2.21×. On average an official of this job was paid more than 63% of the other paid officials of the same year.

Times the collection median1.45×0.25×0.5×1×2×4×Share of paid officials earning less63%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%).

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 Tahrirati Ecnebiye Kalemi. Pay: the change on moving from that title to Tahrirati Ecnebiye Kalemi. The 6 titles with most officials, of 6 moves in all.

  1. Fen Kalemi1
  2. Memurofficial1
  3. Muhabere Memurucommunications official (telegraph operator)1
  4. Muhafaza-i Evrak Memuriyeti1
  5. Mühimme Kalemioffice for important affairs1
  6. Sevk Kalemidispatch office1

Held just after

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

  1. Kontrol Kalemicontrol office1
  2. Mesalihi Kalemi1
  3. Mesalihi Kalemi Muduru1
  4. Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyetipost of official for foreign communications1
  5. Muhasebat-ı Ecnebiye Kalemiforeign accounts office1
  6. Muhendis Kalemi1
  7. Posta Mesalihi Kalemi Mudur Muavini1
  8. PT Nezareti Tahrirati Ecnebiye Kalemi1

Of the 14 moves shown, 2 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
10 yearsmedian over 11 officials
A quarter of the officials
15.5 years or moreupper quartile
Most years of one official
30 years
  1. First job title on recordthe first year with an entry with a job title has it45%5 officials
  2. Last job title on recordthe last such year has it27%3 officials
  3. No other job titlein the whole record9%1 official
  4. One place in the jobof 11 officials with a place recorded100%11 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

11 officials with it recorded.

  1. Muslim (Müslüman)45%5
  2. Armenian Christian (Ermeni)36%4
  3. Chaldean Christian (Keldani)9%1
  4. Greek Orthodox Christian (Rum)9%1

Age at the first annual entry in the job

11 officials with it recorded.

  1. under 150%0
  2. 15 to 1927%3
  3. 20 to 2445%5
  4. 25 to 299%1
  5. 30 to 349%1
  6. 35 to 399%1
  7. 40 and over0%0

Province of birth

11 officials with it recorded.

  1. Istanbul (Dersaadet) province64%7
  2. Bosnia (Bosna) province9%1
  3. Edirne province9%1
  4. Egypt (Mısır) province9%1
  5. Hüdavendigâr province9%1

Schooling

11 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. Higher or professional45%5
  2. Foreign school27%3
  3. Darüşşafaka18%2
  4. Rüşdiye18%2
  5. Other named school9%1
  6. Primary9%1

Languages

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

  1. Turkish91%10
  2. French82%9
  3. English27%3
  4. Greek (Rum)27%3
  5. Italian18%2
  6. Armenian9%1

Qualification

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

  1. No64%7
  2. Yes36%4

Officials on record each year

The fullest year is 1894/95 (AH 1312) with 8 officials. Years with an annual entry: 41.
024681869/70AH 12861871/72AH 12881873/74AH 12901875/76AH 12921877/78AH 12941878/79AH 12961880/81AH 12981882/83AH 13001884/85AH 13021886/87AH 13041888/89AH 13061890/91AH 13081892/93AH 13101894/95AH 13121896/97AH 13141898/99AH 13161900/01AH 13181902/03AH 13201904/05AH 13221906/07AH 13241908/09AH 13268 in 1894/95Recorded in an earlier year tooFirst recorded in this year

The same numbers as a table
Officials on record each year, Tahrirati Ecnebiye Kalemi
YearOfficials on recordFirst recordedAnnual entries
1869/70 (AH 1286)111
1870/71 (AH 1287)101
1871/72 (AH 1288)101
1872/73 (AH 1289)101
1873/74 (AH 1290)101
1874/75 (AH 1291)212
1875/76 (AH 1292)202
1876/77 (AH 1293)424
1877/78 (AH 1294)303
1878 (AH 1295)303
1878/79 (AH 1296)303
1879/80 (AH 1297)303
1880/81 (AH 1298)303
1881/82 (AH 1299)303
1882/83 (AH 1300)202
1883/84 (AH 1301)202
1884/85 (AH 1302)202
1885/86 (AH 1303)202
1886/87 (AH 1304)313
1887/88 (AH 1305)303
1888/89 (AH 1306)303
1889/90 (AH 1307)525
1890/91 (AH 1308)505
1891/92 (AH 1309)505
1892/93 (AH 1310)505
1893/94 (AH 1311)616
1894/95 (AH 1312)828
1895/96 (AH 1313)808
1896/97 (AH 1314)707
1897/98 (AH 1315)818
1898/99 (AH 1316)707
1899/1900 (AH 1317)707
1900/01 (AH 1318)707
1901/02 (AH 1319)606
1902/03 (AH 1320)505
1903/04 (AH 1321)404
1904/05 (AH 1322)202
1905/06 (AH 1323)202
1906/07 (AH 1324)202
1907/08 (AH 1325)101
1908/09 (AH 1326)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

Places of Tahrirati Ecnebiye Kalemi, the place with most officials first
PlaceProvinceOfficialsAnnual entriesYears
Istanbul (Dersaadet)Istanbul (Dersaadet) province101421869 to 1909
BeyoğluIstanbul (Dersaadet) province171876 to 1882

Ottoman officials recorded

11 officials, the one with most annual entries first.

Officials of Tahrirati Ecnebiye Kalemi
OfficialYearsAnnual entriesKuruş a monthBirthplace
Jory Raymon Efendi1874 to 1903301,000 to 2,400Istanbul (Dersaadet)
Oseb Yosef Efendi1876 to 190429400 to 750Istanbul (Dersaadet)
Dikran Efendi1886 to 190216600 to 830Istanbul (Dersaadet)
Mehmet Fahri Efendi1894 to 190915300 to 1,000Bosna
Sarafim Saryan Efendi1889 to 190415150 to 500Istanbul (Dersaadet)
Süleyman Mazhar Bey1897 to 190710150 to 500Istanbul (Dersaadet)
Salih Safi Efendi1889 to 18989400 to 420Edirne
Antuvan İbrahim Keldani Efendi1869 to 187781,400 to 2,570Misir
Ethem Tevfik Efendi1893 to 19018750 to 1,050Mudanya
Oseb Eğerciyan Efendi1876 to 18827380 to 400Istanbul (Dersaadet)
Ali Fuat Bey1894 to 18962300 to 450Istanbul (Dersaadet)

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