Official
Mehmed Zühtü Efendi
Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Sofia (Sofya) in 1853/54 (AH 1270). On record 1875 to 1897, 22 annual entries.
Archive reference 58- 0090; 173
Life#
Mehmed Zühtü Efendi was born in Sofia (Sofya) in 1853/54 (AH 1270), into the Muslim (Müslüman) community. Schooling took four years, at a school for young children (Sıbyan Mektebi).
Work began in Sofia in 1872/73, at about 18, with three unpaid years as a mülazım (apprentice) before a first salary of 300 kuruş. The first annual entry, for 1875/76, places Mehmed Zühtü in Sofia, the birthplace, as an official (Memur), where the entries run to 1878/79, with a rise to communications official (Muhabere Memuru) in 1878. Mehmed Zühtü then moved to Tepelenë (Tepedelen) from 1880 to 1888, then Louros in 1888/89 and Ioannina in 1889/90. The annual lists then follow Mehmed Zühtü back to Louros from 1890 to 1894. The last posts were in Aleppo (Halep) from 1894 to 1897, with a rise to chief official (Başmemur).
Pay rose from 300 kuruş a month in 1875/76 to a peak of 1,200 in 1894/95, as Başmemur in Aleppo, when 91 per cent of paid officials earned less. The last annual entry is for 1896/97.
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 1853/54 (AH 1270); First work 1872/73 (AH 1289); 1875 to 1879 (AH 1292 to 1296)
Memur 1875 to 1878 (AH 1292 to 1294); Muhabere Memuru 1878 to 1879 (AH 1295 to 1296)
300 to 500 kuruş a month; entries in 5 years
1880 to 1888 (AH 1298 to 1305)
No annual entry for 1879/80 (AH 1297) before it.
600 kuruş a month; entries in 8 years
1894 to 1897 (AH 1312 to 1314)
1,080 to 1,200 kuruş a month; entries in 3 years
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1875/76 | 300 | 530 | 300 | 12% |
| 1876/77 | 400 | 582.5 | 400 | 17% |
| 1877/78 | 400 | 560 | 400 | 16% |
| 1878 | 500 | 600 | 500 | 33% |
| 1878/79 | 500 | 600 | 420 | 34% |
| 1880/81 | 600 | 500 | 400 | 60% |
| 1881/82 | 600 | 500 | 400 | 60% |
| 1882/83 | 600 | 500 | 400 | 59% |
| 1883/84 | 600 | 500 | 400 | 59% |
| 1884/85 | 600 | 500 | 400 | 59% |
| 1885/86 | 600 | 500 | 400 | 58% |
| 1886/87 | 600 | 500 | 400 | 59% |
| 1887/88 | 600 | 500 | 400 | 58% |
| 1888/89 | 600 | 500 | 600 | 58% |
| 1889/90 | 600 | 500 | 600 | 58% |
| 1890/91 | 600 | 500 | 600 | 59% |
| 1891/92 | 600 | 500 | 600 | 59% |
| 1892/93 | 600 | 500 | 600 | 59% |
| 1893/94 | 600 | 500 | 600 | 60% |
| 1894/95 | 1,200 | 500 | 825 | 91% |
| 1895/96 | 1,200 | 500 | 1,000 | 90% |
| 1896/97 | 1,080 | 500 | 900 | 91% |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1872/73AH 1289 | First work | Sofia (Sofya) | 300first-salary field |
| 1875 to 1878AH 1292 to 1294 | Memur | Sofia (Sofya) | 300 to 400 |
| 1878 to 1879AH 1295 to 1296 | Muhabere Memuru | Sofia (Sofya) | 500 |
| No annual entry: 1879/80 (AH 1297) | |||
| 1880 to 1888AH 1298 to 1305 | Muhabere Memuru | Tepelenë (Tepedelen) | 600 |
| 1888/89AH 1306 | Başmuhabere Memuru | Louros (Loros) | 600 |
| 1889/90AH 1307 | 3. Müdür | Ioannina (Yanya) | 600 |
| 1890 to 1894AH 1308 to 1311 | 3. Müdür | Louros (Loros) | 600 |
| 1894 to 1897AH 1312 to 1314 | Başmemur | Aleppo (Halep) | 1,200 to 1,080 |
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1853/54 (AH 1270)
- Birthplace
- Sofia (Sofya)
- Community
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Nationality as recorded
- Turkish
Education
- Primary
- Sıbyan Mektebi (4 years)school for young children (primary school)
- Unpaid years (mülazemet)
- 3 years
- Preparation route (classification of the paper)
- Low
- Qualification (diploma, certificate, training or nişan)
- NoShown as in the flag of the paper. The qualification column of the recovered extract gives yes.
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
- 1872/73 (AH 1289)
- Place
- Sofia (Sofya)
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 300
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 24 officials with entries in Sofia (Sofya) in the same years, Mehmed Zühtü Efendi had the 7th highest salary.
- Süleyman İhsan Bey4 shared years; highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- Mahir Efendi3 shared years; highest salary 600 kuruş
- Yusuf Efendi2 shared years; highest salary 2,500 kuruş
- Ali Haydar Efendi2 shared years; highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- Ali Efendi2 shared years; highest salary 800 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 941 officials with the title Muhabere Memuru in the same years, Mehmed Zühtü Efendi had the 102nd highest salary.
- Süleyman Reşid Efendi10 shared years; highest salary 2,500 kuruş
- Mustafa Enver Efendi10 shared years; highest salary 2,000 kuruş
- Mehmet Efendi10 shared years; highest salary 1,800 kuruş
- Tahir Efendi10 shared years; highest salary 1,500 kuruş
- Nikola Yunani Efendi10 shared years; highest salary 1,350 kuruş
Same school
Of the 746 officials with Sıbyan Mektebi among their schools, 745 have a recorded salary; Mehmed Zühtü Efendi had the 151st highest salary of them.
- Abdullah Efendiborn 1853/54 (AH 1270); highest salary 600 kuruş
- Abdurarhim Rahmi Efendiborn 1853/54 (AH 1270); highest salary 900 kuruş
- Agop Maryan Efendiborn 1853/54 (AH 1270); highest salary 750 kuruş
- Ahmet Canib Efendiborn 1853/54 (AH 1270); highest salary 590 kuruş
- Ahmet Fehmi Efendiborn 1853/54 (AH 1270); highest salary 1,200 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 20 officials born in Sofia (Sofya), Mehmed Zühtü Efendi had the 3rd highest salary.
- Hasan Hami Efendiborn 1853/54 (AH 1270); highest salary 1,200 kuruş
- Ahmet Cevdet Efendiborn 1851/52 (AH 1268); highest salary 450 kuruş
- Hasan Sezai Efendiborn 1851/52 (AH 1268); highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- Yusuf Efendiborn 1849/50 (AH 1266); highest salary 2,500 kuruş
- Ahmet Tevfik Efendiborn 1848/49 (AH 1265); highest salary 950 kuruş
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 87 officials whose first annual entry is for 1875/76 (AH 1292), Mehmed Zühtü Efendi had the 14th highest salary.
- Mustafa Hulusi Efendifirst entry in Sofia (Sofya); highest salary 700 kuruş
- Mahir Efendifirst entry in Sofia (Sofya); highest salary 600 kuruş
- Agop Maryan Efendifirst entry in Mostar; highest salary 750 kuruş
- Ahmet Canib Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 590 kuruş
- Ali Haydar Efendifirst entry in Edirne; highest salary 1,500 kuruş
Full record
Annual entries (22)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1875/76AH 1292 | Memur | Sofia (Sofya) | 300 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 0090; 173 |
| 1876/77AH 1293 | Memur | Sofia (Sofya) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 0090; 173 |
| 1877/78AH 1294 | Memur | Sofia (Sofya) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 0090; 173 |
| 1878AH 1295 | Muhabere Memuru | Sofia (Sofya) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 0090; 173 |
| 1878/79AH 1296 | Muhabere Memuru | Sofia (Sofya) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 0090; 173 |
| 1880/81AH 1298 | Muhabere Memuru | Tepelenë (Tepedelen) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 0090; 173 |
| 1881/82AH 1299 | Muhabere Memuru | Tepelenë (Tepedelen) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 0090; 173 |
| 1882/83AH 1300 | Muhabere Memuru | Tepelenë (Tepedelen) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 0090; 173 |
| 1883/84AH 1301 | Muhabere Memuru | Tepelenë (Tepedelen) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 0090; 173 |
| 1884/85AH 1302 | Muhabere Memuru | Tepelenë (Tepedelen) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 0090; 173 |
| 1885/86AH 1303 | Muhabere Memuru | Tepelenë (Tepedelen) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 0090; 173 |
| 1886/87AH 1304 | Muhabere Memuru | Tepelenë (Tepedelen) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 0090; 173 |
| 1887/88AH 1305 | Muhabere Memuru | Tepelenë (Tepedelen) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 0090; 173 |
| 1888/89AH 1306 | Başmuhabere Memuru | Louros (Loros) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 0090; 173 |
| 1889/90AH 1307 | 3. Müdür | Ioannina (Yanya) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 0090; 173 |
| 1890/91AH 1308 | 3. Müdür | Louros (Loros) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 0090; 173 |
| 1891/92AH 1309 | 3. Müdür | Louros (Loros) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 0090; 173 |
| 1892/93AH 1310 | 3. Müdür | Louros (Loros) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 0090; 173 |
| 1893/94AH 1311 | 3. Müdür | Louros (Loros) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 0090; 173 |
| 1894/95AH 1312 | Başmemur | Aleppo (Halep) | 1,200 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 0090; 173 |
| 1895/96AH 1313 | Başmemur | Aleppo (Halep) | 1,200 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 0090; 173 |
| 1896/97AH 1314 | Başmemur | Aleppo (Halep) | 1,080 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 58- 0090; 173 |
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 (13)
| Field | Recorded value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Name | Mehmed Zühtü Efendi | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birth year (AH) | 1270 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birthplace | sofya | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Province of birth | tuna | 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 | Sibyan Mektebi | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Years of schooling | 4 | 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) | 1289 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1872 | Recovered annual personnel extract |
| First work: place | Sofya | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First salary field (kuruş a month) | 300 | 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.
- 22 annual entries of 22 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
- Mehmed Zühtü Efendi
- Communications official (Muhabere Memuru)
- Tepelenë (Tepedelen)
- Sofia (Sofya)
- School for young children (Sıbyan 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)