Official
Hacı Abdurrahim Muhsin Efendi
Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Siirt in 1870/71 (AH 1287). On record 1888 to 1911, 24 annual entries.
Archive reference 54_232; 462
Life#
Hacı Abdurrahim Muhsin Efendi was born in Siirt in 1870/71 (AH 1287) into the Muslim (Müslüman) community; the father was a religious scholar (ulema). At about 16, in 1886/87, Abdurrahim Muhsin began work in Mecca (Mekke), with two unpaid years as a mülazım (apprentice) before a first salary of 500 kuruş. The first annual entry, for 1888/89, places Abdurrahim Muhsin in Jeddah (Cidde) as a communications official (Muhabere Memuru), where the entries run to 1890/91. The annual lists then follow Abdurrahim Muhsin to Hicaz from 1891 to 1898, then Suakin in 1898/99. Abdurrahim Muhsin then moved back to Jeddah from 1899 to 1905, then Lubnan and Trabzon from 1905 to 1909. The last posts were in Tripoli (Trablusgarp) from 1909 to 1911. Tripoli, about 2,650 km from Siirt, was the post farthest from the birthplace; fewer than 4 per cent of the 5,162 officials with a known birthplace and place of service served as far from home.
Pay rose from 500 kuruş a month in 1888/89 to a peak of 2,500 in 1908/09, as Başmüdür in Trabzon, when 93 per cent of paid officials earned less. In all, 24 years of salary come to 426,480 kuruş, 3.1 times the median official's, a level reached by fewer than 5 per cent of the 3,805 officials paid for five years or more. The final annual entry is for 1911.
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 1870/71 (AH 1287)
First work 1886/87 (AH 1304)
1888 to 1891 (AH 1306 to 1308)
500 to 1,000 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, and the median of the same province for the years in which at least 5 officials were paid in the province of the official's salary that year.
The numbers of the chart
| Year | Salary | Median, all officials | Median, same title | Median, same province | Paid less |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1888/89 | 500 | 500 | 400 | 800 | 41% |
| 1889/90 | 1,000 | 500 | 400 | 850 | 85% |
| 1890/91 | 1,000 | 500 | 400 | 750 | 86% |
| 1891/92 | 800 | 500 | 600 | 800 | 79% |
| 1892/93 | 800 | 500 | 600 | 750 | 80% |
| 1893/94 | 800 | 500 | 600 | 750 | 80% |
| 1894/95 | 800 | 500 | 600 | 750 | 81% |
| 1895/96 | 800 | 500 | 600 | 725 | 80% |
| 1896/97 | 720 | 500 | 540 | 697.5 | 81% |
| 1897/98 | 720 | 500 | 540 | 675 | 81% |
| 1898/99 | 1,350 | 500 | 945 | 675 | 94% |
| 1899/1900 | 1,650 | 500 | 1,900 | 675 | 96% |
| 1900/01 | 1,650 | 500 | 2,000 | 800 | 95% |
| 1901/02 | 1,650 | 500 | 2,000 | 800 | 95% |
| 1902/03 | 1,650 | 500 | 2,000 | 800 | 95% |
| 1903/04 | 1,650 | 475 | 1,750 | 800 | 95% |
| 1904/05 | 2,000 | 450 | 2,000 | 800 | 96% |
| 1905/06 | 2,000 | 475 | 2,000 | 400 | 95% |
| 1906/07 | 2,000 | 450 | 1,800 | 330 | 95% |
| 1907/08 | 2,000 | 300 | 2,000 | 300 | 93% |
| 1908/09 | 2,500 | 350 | 2,750 | 350 | 93% |
| 1909/10 | 2,500 | 462.5 | 2,750 | 950 | 89% |
| 1910/11 | 2,500 | 500 | 2,500 | 87% | |
| 1911 | 2,500 | 500 | 2,500 | 87% |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1886/87AH 1304 | First work | Mecca (Mekke) | 500first-salary field |
| 1888 to 1891AH 1306 to 1308 | Muhabere Memuru | Jeddah (Cidde) | 500 to 1,000 |
| 1891 to 1898AH 1309 to 1315 | Merkez Memuru | Hicaz | 800 to 720 |
| 1898/99AH 1316 | Başmemur | Suakin (Sevakin) | 1,350 |
| 1899 to 1904AH 1317 to 1321 | Müdür | Jeddah (Cidde) | 1,650 |
| 1904/05AH 1322 | Müfettiş | Jeddah (Cidde) | 2,000 |
| 1905 to 1908AH 1323 to 1325 | Müfettiş | Lubnan | 2,000 |
| 1908/09AH 1326 | Başmüdür | Trabzon | 2,500 |
| 1909 to 1911AH 1327 to 1329 | Başmüdür | Tripoli (Trablusgarp) | 2,500 |
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1870/71 (AH 1287)
- Birthplace
- Siirt
- Community
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Nationality as recorded
- Turkish
- Father's occupation
- Ulema
Education
- Rüşdiye
- Rüşdiye Mektebi (7 years)rüşdiye school (middle school)
- Unpaid years (mülazemet)
- 2 years
- Preparation route (classification of the paper)
- Middle
- Qualification (diploma, certificate, training or nişan)
- Yes
The years count all schooling up to that school, as the record gives them.
Languages
- Arabic
- Kitabetwriting
- French
- Kitabetwriting
- Persian
- Kitabetwriting
- Turkish
- Kitabetwriting
The glosses are cautious historical readings of the recorded words, not modern levels of proficiency.
First work
- Year
- 1886/87 (AH 1304)
- Place
- Mecca (Mekke)
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 500
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 post (job title and place), same years
Of the 2 officials who held Merkez Memuru in Hicaz in the same years, Hacı Abdurrahim Muhsin Efendi had the lowest salary.
- Hafız Hilmi Efendi1 shared year; highest salary 2,700 kuruş
Same place, same years
Of the 16 officials with entries in Jeddah (Cidde) in the same years, Hacı Abdurrahim Muhsin Efendi had the 2nd highest salary.
- Mehmet Rami Efendi5 shared years; highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- İsmail Efendi4 shared years; highest salary 500 kuruş
- Mehmet Muhittin Efendi4 shared years; highest salary 60 kuruş
- Osman Nuri Efendi3 shared years; highest salary 700 kuruş
- Mehmet Nuri Efendi3 shared years; highest salary 630 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 59 officials with the title Merkez Memuru in the same years, Hacı Abdurrahim Muhsin Efendi had the 3rd highest salary.
- Hasan Tevfik Efendi7 shared years; highest salary 1,600 kuruş
- İsmail Zühtü Efendi7 shared years; highest salary 1,200 kuruş
- Süleyman Ramiz Efendi7 shared years; highest salary 950 kuruş
- Cemil Efendi7 shared years; highest salary 900 kuruş
- Mehmet Nuri Efendi7 shared years; highest salary 900 kuruş
Same school
Of the 3,206 officials with Rüşdiye Mektebi among their schools, 3,200 have a recorded salary; Hacı Abdurrahim Muhsin Efendi had the 57th highest salary of them.
- Abdulgafur Sufi Efendiborn 1870/71 (AH 1287); highest salary 600 kuruş
- Abdülkerim Efendiborn 1870/71 (AH 1287); highest salary 400 kuruş
- Abdullah Mazhar Efendiborn 1870/71 (AH 1287); highest salary 800 kuruş
- Abdurrezak Bey Efendiborn 1870/71 (AH 1287); highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- Ahmed Talat Efendiborn 1870/71 (AH 1287); highest salary 500 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 6 officials born in Siirt, Hacı Abdurrahim Muhsin Efendi had the highest salary.
- Abdullah Mazhar Efendiborn 1870/71 (AH 1287); highest salary 800 kuruş
- Abdurrahman Vafi Efendiborn 1874/75 (AH 1291); highest salary 450 kuruş
- Hüseyin Hüsnü Efendiborn 1874/75 (AH 1291); highest salary 340 kuruş
- Hacı Abdülcemil Efendiborn 1878 (AH 1295); highest salary 320 kuruş
- Salih Ziya Efendiborn 1881/82 (AH 1299); highest salary 300 kuruş
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 114 officials whose first annual entry is for 1888/89 (AH 1306), 113 have a recorded salary; Hacı Abdurrahim Muhsin Efendi had the 3rd highest salary of them.
- Abdullah Mazhar Efendifirst entry in Urfele; highest salary 800 kuruş
- Agop Efendifirst entry in Thessaloniki (Selanik); highest salary 300 kuruş
- Ahmet Avni Efendifirst entry in Thessaloniki (Selanik); highest salary 500 kuruş
- Haci İbrahim Ethem Efendifirst entry in Hicaz; highest salary 750 kuruş
- Hamid Efendifirst entry in Babiali; highest salary 500 kuruş
Full record
Annual entries (24)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1888/89AH 1306 | Muhabere Memuru | Jeddah (Cidde) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_232; 462 |
| 1889/90AH 1307 | Muhabere Memuru | Jeddah (Cidde) | 1,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_232; 462 |
| 1890/91AH 1308 | Muhabere Memuru | Jeddah (Cidde) | 1,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_232; 462 |
| 1891/92AH 1309 | Merkez Memuru | Hicaz | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_232; 462 |
| 1892/93AH 1310 | Merkez Memuru | Hicaz | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_232; 462 |
| 1893/94AH 1311 | Merkez Memuru | Hicaz | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_232; 462 |
| 1894/95AH 1312 | Merkez Memuru | Hicaz | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_232; 462 |
| 1895/96AH 1313 | Merkez Memuru | Hicaz | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_232; 462 |
| 1896/97AH 1314 | Merkez Memuru | Hicaz | 720 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_232; 462 |
| 1897/98AH 1315 | Merkez Memuru | Hicaz | 720 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_232; 462 |
| 1898/99AH 1316 | Başmemur | Suakin (Sevakin) | 1,350 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_232; 462 |
| 1899/1900AH 1317 | Müdür | Jeddah (Cidde) | 1,650 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_232; 462 |
| 1900/01AH 1318 | Müdür | Jeddah (Cidde) | 1,650 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_232; 462 |
| 1901/02AH 1319 | Müdür | Jeddah (Cidde) | 1,650 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_232; 462 |
| 1902/03AH 1320 | Müdür | Jeddah (Cidde) | 1,650 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_232; 462 |
| 1903/04AH 1321 | Müdür | Jeddah (Cidde) | 1,650 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_232; 462 |
| 1904/05AH 1322 | Müfettiş | Jeddah (Cidde) | 2,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_232; 462 |
| 1905/06AH 1323 | Müfettiş | Lubnan | 2,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_232; 462 |
| 1906/07AH 1324 | Müfettiş | Lubnan | 2,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_232; 462 |
| 1907/08AH 1325 | Müfettiş | Lubnan | 2,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_232; 462 |
| 1908/09AH 1326 | Başmüdür | Trabzon | 2,500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_232; 462 |
| 1909/10AH 1327 | Başmüdür | Tripoli (Trablusgarp) | 2,500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_232; 462 |
| 1910/11AH 1328 | Başmüdür | Tripoli (Trablusgarp) | 2,500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_232; 462 |
| 1911AH 1329 | Başmüdür | Tripoli (Trablusgarp) | 2,500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 54_232; 462 |
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 (15)
| Field | Recorded value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Name | Hacı Abdurrahim Muhsin Efendi | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birth year (AH) | 1287 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birthplace | siirt | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Province of birth | bitlis | 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 | 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) | 2 used on this page | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Years of apprenticeship (mülazemet) | 0 other value | Recovered annual personnel extract |
| First work | ||
| First work: year (AH) | 1304 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1887 | Recovered annual personnel extract |
| First work: place | mekke | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First salary field (kuruş a month) | 500 | 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.
- The sources give more than one value for a marked field. Every value is listed.
- Origin of the record: Post and Telegraph personnel records.
- 18 annual entries of 24 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
- Hacı Abdurrahim Muhsin Efendi
- Official of a telegraph or post office (Merkez Memuru)
- Jeddah (Cidde)
- Siirt
- 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)