Official
Ahmet Seyfi Efendi
Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Istanbul (Dersaadet) in 1880/81 (AH 1298). On record 1901 to 1906, 5 annual entries.
Archive reference 119-90-175
Life#
Born in Istanbul in 1880/81 (AH 1298), Ahmet Seyfi Efendi came from the Muslim (Müslüman) community; the father was a senior army captain (kolağası). Ahmet Seyfi had seven years of schooling, at a middle school (Rüşdiye Mektebi).
At about 17, in 1898/99, Ahmet Seyfi began work in Thessaloniki (Selanik), with three unpaid years as a mülazım (apprentice) before a first salary of 250 kuruş. The first annual entry, for 1901/02, places Ahmet Seyfi in Pogradec (İstarova) as a communications official (Muhabere Memuru). The last posts were in Karasova and Bitola (Manastır) from 1902 to 1905 and Tripoli (Trablusgarp) in 1905/06.
The salary went from 250 kuruş a month in 1901/02 to 800 in 1905/06, the peak, as Muhabere Memuru in Tripoli, when 78 per cent of paid officials earned less. The last annual entry is for 1905/06.
Places in order of time#
Each number is a stop: the birthplace, the place of first work, then every place of the annual entries in turn. The year beside an arrow is the first entry at the new place.
Born 1880/81 (AH 1298)
First work 1898/99 (AH 1316)
Career and salary#
Log scale: equal steps are equal ratios. The median of the same title is drawn for the years in which at least 5 officials with that title had a salary.
The numbers of the chart
| Year | Salary | Median, all officials | Median, same title | Paid less |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1901/02 | 250 | 500 | 400 | 14% |
| 1902/03 | 250 | 500 | 380 | 15% |
| 1903/04 | 250 | 475 | 350 | 14% |
| 1904/05 | 250 | 450 | 350 | 14% |
| 1905/06 | 800 | 475 | 330 | 78% |
Paid less: the share of the other officials with a salary that year who earned less.
Point at a year for its salary, title, place and the median of all officials paid that year. Choose a row of the table to mark its years in the charts and its stop on the map.
| Years | Title | Place | Salary (kuruş a month) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1898/99AH 1316 | First work | Thessaloniki (Selanik) | 250first-salary field |
| 1901/02AH 1319 | Muhabere Memuru | Pogradec (İstarova) | 250 |
| 1902/03AH 1320 | Muhabere Memuru | Karasova | 250 |
| 1903 to 1905AH 1321 to 1322 | Muhabere Memuru | Bitola (Manastır) | 250 |
| 1905/06AH 1323 | Muhabere Memuru | Tripoli (Trablusgarp) | 800 |
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1880/81 (AH 1298)
- Birthplace
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- Community
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Nationality as recorded
- Turkish
- Father's occupation
- Kolagasi
Education
- Rüşdiye
- Rüşdiye Mektebi (7 years)rüşdiye school (middle school)
- Unpaid years (mülazemet)
- 3 years
- Preparation route (classification of the paper)
- Low
- Qualification (diploma, certificate, training or nişan)
- No
The years count all schooling up to that school, as the record gives them.
Languages
- Turkish
- Kitabetwriting
The glosses are cautious historical readings of the recorded words, not modern levels of proficiency.
First work
- Year
- 1898/99 (AH 1316)
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 250
Recorded with#
Officials who share a place, a job title, a school, a birthplace or the year of the first annual entry. Ranks compare the highest monthly salary of each official.
Same place, same years
Of the 23 officials with entries in Bitola (Manastır) in the same years, Ahmet Seyfi Efendi had the 4th highest salary.
- Abdulkerim Efendi2 shared years; highest salary 900 kuruş
- Ahmet Macit Efendi2 shared years; highest salary 825 kuruş
- Daron Naçhan Efendi2 shared years; highest salary 800 kuruş
- Kamil Hakki Efendi2 shared years; highest salary 750 kuruş
- Mehmet Nuri Efendi2 shared years; highest salary 675 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 1,333 officials with the title Muhabere Memuru in the same years, Ahmet Seyfi Efendi had the 95th highest salary.
- Mehmet Hulusi Bey5 shared years; highest salary 2,600 kuruş
- Mustafa Fazıl Bey5 shared years; highest salary 1,700 kuruş
- Mehmet Sadullah Efendi5 shared years; highest salary 1,650 kuruş
- Mehmet Asım Efendi5 shared years; highest salary 1,550 kuruş
- Mehmet Hurşit Efendi5 shared years; highest salary 1,500 kuruş
Same school
Of the 3,206 officials with Rüşdiye Mektebi among their schools, 3,200 have a recorded salary; Ahmet Seyfi Efendi had the 477th highest salary of them.
- Abdülaziz Efendiborn 1880/81 (AH 1298); highest salary 900 kuruş
- Abdülkerim Hüsnü Efendiborn 1880/81 (AH 1298); highest salary 540 kuruş
- Abdullah Kamil Efendiborn 1880/81 (AH 1298); highest salary 300 kuruş
- Abdullatif Efendiborn 1880/81 (AH 1298); highest salary 700 kuruş
- Abdurrahman Hilmi Efendiborn 1880/81 (AH 1298); highest salary 500 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 1,999 officials born in Istanbul, 1,997 have a recorded salary; Ahmet Seyfi Efendi had the 503rd highest salary of them.
- Abdullah Kamil Efendiborn 1880/81 (AH 1298); highest salary 300 kuruş
- Ahmet Celal Efendiborn 1880/81 (AH 1298); highest salary 800 kuruş
- Ahmet Cemal Efendiborn 1880/81 (AH 1298); highest salary 500 kuruş
- Ahmet İzzet Efendiborn 1880/81 (AH 1298); highest salary 250 kuruş
- Ahmet Kemal Efendiborn 1880/81 (AH 1298); highest salary 300 kuruş
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 131 officials whose first annual entry is for 1901/02 (AH 1319), Ahmet Seyfi Efendi had the 5th highest salary.
- Ahmet Refik Efendifirst entry in Geyve; highest salary 250 kuruş
- Habib Efendifirst entry in Beirut (Beyrut); highest salary 600 kuruş
- Hakkı Efendifirst entry in Novi Pazar (Yenipazar); highest salary 400 kuruş
- Hüseyin Avni Efendifirst entry in Bakırköy; highest salary 800 kuruş
- Hüseyin Efendifirst entry in Sirkeci; highest salary 300 kuruş
Full record
Annual entries (5)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1901/02AH 1319 | Muhabere Memuru | Pogradec (İstarova) | 250 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 119-90-175 |
| 1902/03AH 1320 | Muhabere Memuru | Karasova | 250 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 119-90-175 |
| 1903/04AH 1321 | Muhabere Memuru | Bitola (Manastır) | 250 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 119-90-175 |
| 1904/05AH 1322 | Muhabere Memuru | Bitola (Manastır) | 250 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 119-90-175 |
| 1905/06AH 1323 | Muhabere Memuru | Tripoli (Trablusgarp) | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 119-90-175 |
What the sources named in this table are
- Recovered annual personnel extract
- The merged annual personnel file recovered for the replication of the first paper. Annual entries are taken from it for every official it holds.
Sources and original values (14)
| Field | Recorded value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Name | Ahmet Seyfi Efendi | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birth year (AH) | 1298 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birthplace | dersaadet | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Province of birth | dersaadet | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Father's occupation | Kolagasi | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Religion | Musluman | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Nationality or community | Turkish | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Schooling | ||
| School | Rusdiye Mektebi | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Years of schooling | 7 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Years of apprenticeship (mülazemet) | 3 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work | ||
| First work: year (AH) | 1316 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1898 | Recovered annual personnel extract |
| First work: place | Selanik | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First salary field (kuruş a month) | 250 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
What the sources named in this table are
- Earlier annual personnel extract
- The detailed annual personnel file of October 2024. An official found only in this file keeps the years, titles and salaries it gives.
- Recovered annual personnel extract
- The merged annual personnel file recovered for the replication of the first paper. Annual entries are taken from it for every official it holds.
- Personnel attributes extract
- The detailed personnel file of September 2025, read for personal details such as birth, schooling and first work.
- Origin of the record: Post and Telegraph personnel records.
- 5 annual entries of 5 belong to the saved estimation sample of the paper.
How to read this record: calendar years, years without an annual entry, salaries and sources.
Subjects
- Ahmet Seyfi Efendi
- Communications official (Muhabere Memuru)
- Bitola (Manastır)
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- Rüşdiye school (Rüşdiye Mektebi)
- Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Biography of an Ottoman official (Osmanlı memurunun biyografisi)
- Career and pay (memuriyet ve maaş)
- Ottoman history (Osmanlı tarihi)
- Ottoman bureaucracy (Osmanlı bürokrasisi)
- Ottoman officials (Osmanlı'da memurlar)
- Ottoman personnel registers (Sicill-i Ahvâl defterleri)
- Ottoman registers (Osmanlı defterleri)