Official
Mehmet Salih Efendi
Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Damascus (Şam) in 1882/83 (AH 1300). On record 1901 to 1907, 6 annual entries.
Archive reference 114_108; 211
Life#
Born in Damascus (Şam) in 1882/83 (AH 1300), Mehmet Salih Efendi came from the Muslim (Müslüman) community; the father was a religious scholar (ulema). Mehmet Salih had 12 years of schooling, at the Lisan Mektebi. In all Mehmet Salih knew four languages, Arabic, English, French and Turkish, all in writing; fewer than 5 per cent of the 5,211 officials knew as many. Few officials studied at Lisan Mektebi; only 3 of the 5,146 officials with a school did.
Work began in Beirut (Beyrut) in 1901/02, at about 18, paid from the start, on 375 kuruş a month. The first annual entry, for 1901/02, places Mehmet Salih in Beirut as an official for foreign communications (Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti). The last posts were in Al Hudaydah (Hudeyde) from 1903 to 1907, with a rise to Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti and to director (Müdür) in 1906/07.
The salary went from 375 kuruş a month in 1901/02 to 1,800 in 1906/07, the peak, as Müdür in Al Hudaydah, when 94 per cent of paid officials earned less. Over six years the salaries add up to 84,900 kuruş, 2.5 times what an official on the median salary earned. The final annual entry is for 1906/07.
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 1882/83 (AH 1300)
First work 1901/02 (AH 1319); 1901 to 1903 (AH 1319 to 1320)
Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti 1901/02 (AH 1319); Kartpostal Memuru 1902/03 (AH 1320)
375 to 400 kuruş a month; entries in 2 years
1903 to 1907 (AH 1321 to 1324)
Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti 1903 to 1906 (AH 1321 to 1323); Müdür 1906/07 (AH 1324)
1,500 to 1,800 kuruş a month; entries in 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1901/02 | 375 | 500 | 480 | 29% |
| 1902/03 | 400 | 500 | 33% | |
| 1903/04 | 1,500 | 475 | 450 | 94% |
| 1904/05 | 1,500 | 450 | 455 | 94% |
| 1905/06 | 1,500 | 475 | 445 | 93% |
| 1906/07 | 1,800 | 450 | 2,225 | 94% |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1901/02AH 1319 | First work | Beirut (Beyrut) | 375first-salary field |
| 1901/02AH 1319 | Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti | Beirut (Beyrut) | 375 |
| 1902/03AH 1320 | Kartpostal Memuru | Beirut (Beyrut) | 400 |
| 1903 to 1906AH 1321 to 1323 | Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti | Al Hudaydah (Hudeyde) | 1,500 |
| 1906/07AH 1324 | Müdür | Al Hudaydah (Hudeyde) | 1,800 |
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1882/83 (AH 1300)
- Birthplace
- Damascus (Şam)
- Community
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Nationality as recorded
- Turkish
- Father's occupation
- Ulema
Education
- Higher or professional
- Lisan Mektebi (12 years)
- Unpaid years (mülazemet)
- 0 years
- Preparation route (classification of the paper)
- Other High
- Qualification (diploma, certificate, training or nişan)
- No
The years count all schooling up to that school, as the record gives them.
Languages
- Arabic
- Kitabetwriting
- English
- Kitabetwriting
- French
- Kitabetwriting
- Turkish
- Kitabetwriting
The glosses are cautious historical readings of the recorded words, not modern levels of proficiency.
First work
- Year
- 1901/02 (AH 1319)
- Place
- Beirut (Beyrut)
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 375
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 5 officials with entries in Al Hudaydah (Hudeyde) in the same years, Mehmet Salih Efendi had the 2nd highest salary.
- İbrahim Fahri Efendi4 shared years; highest salary 750 kuruş
- Ali Ramiz Efendi2 shared years; highest salary 2,200 kuruş
- Abdürrauf Efendi2 shared years; highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- Hasan Hüsnü Efendi2 shared years; highest salary 1,000 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 265 officials with the title Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti in the same years, Mehmet Salih Efendi had the 3rd highest salary.
- Garon Efendi4 shared years; highest salary 1,300 kuruş
- Taşçıyan Markar Efendi4 shared years; highest salary 1,300 kuruş
- Dikran Efendi4 shared years; highest salary 1,200 kuruş
- Acemyan Dikran Efendi4 shared years; highest salary 1,100 kuruş
- Ahmet Ragıp Efendi4 shared years; highest salary 1,000 kuruş
All 605 officials with the title Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti
Same school
Of the 3 officials with Lisan Mektebi among their schools, Mehmet Salih Efendi had the 2nd highest salary.
- İshak Nisyon Amon Efendiborn 1869/70 (AH 1286); highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- Ali Galip Beyborn 1849/50 (AH 1266); highest salary 20,000 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 59 officials born in Damascus (Şam), Mehmet Salih Efendi had the 3rd highest salary.
- Mehmet Fehmi Efendiborn 1882/83 (AH 1300); highest salary 500 kuruş
- Ahmet Tevfik Efendiborn 1881/82 (AH 1299); highest salary 350 kuruş
- Ebussuud Efendiborn 1881/82 (AH 1299); highest salary 285 kuruş
- MEHMET EFENDİborn 1881/82 (AH 1299); highest salary 400 kuruş
- Mehmet Refiki Efendiborn 1881/82 (AH 1299); highest salary 200 kuruş
The page of Damascus (Şam), with the 59 officials born there
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 131 officials whose first annual entry is for 1901/02 (AH 1319), Mehmet Salih Efendi had the highest salary.
- Mehmet Selim Efendifirst entry in Beirut (Beyrut); highest salary 600 kuruş
- Habib Efendifirst entry in Beirut (Beyrut); highest salary 600 kuruş
- Mehmet Enis Efendifirst entry in Beirut (Beyrut); highest salary 350 kuruş
- Elyas Zehlan Efendifirst entry in Beirut (Beyrut); highest salary 400 kuruş
- AHMET REFİK EFENDİfirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 130 kuruş
Full record
Annual entries (6)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1901/02AH 1319 | Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti | Beirut (Beyrut) | 375 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 114_108; 211 |
| 1902/03AH 1320 | Kartpostal Memuru | Beirut (Beyrut) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 114_108; 211 |
| 1903/04AH 1321 | Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti | Al Hudaydah (Hudeyde) | 1,500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 114_108; 211 |
| 1904/05AH 1322 | Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti | Al Hudaydah (Hudeyde) | 1,500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 114_108; 211 |
| 1905/06AH 1323 | Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti | Al Hudaydah (Hudeyde) | 1,500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 114_108; 211 |
| 1906/07AH 1324 | Müdür | Al Hudaydah (Hudeyde) | 1,800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 114_108; 211 |
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 | Mehmet Salih Efendi | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birth year (AH) | 1300 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birthplace | sam | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Province of birth | suriye | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Father's occupation | Ulema | 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 | Lisan Mektebi | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Years of schooling | 12 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Years of apprenticeship (mülazemet) | 0 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work | ||
| First work: year (AH) | 1319 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1901 | Recovered annual personnel extract |
| First work: place | beyrut | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First salary field (kuruş a month) | 375 | 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 6 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
- Mehmet Salih Efendi
- Post of official for foreign communications (Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti)
- Al Hudaydah (Hudeyde)
- Damascus (Şam)
- Lisan 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)