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Ottoman BureaucracyPeople, places and careers in Ottoman public service

Official

Mordahay Efendi

Jewish (Musevi). Born in Istanbul (Dersaadet) in 1883/84 (AH 1301). On record 1900 to 1906, 6 annual entries.

Archive reference 119_119

Compare Mordahay Efendi with other officials

Life

Born in Istanbul in 1883/84 (AH 1301), Mordahay Efendi came from the Jewish (Musevi) community; the father was a tradesman (esnaf). Mordahay had four years of schooling, at a community school (Millet Mektebi).

At about 15, in 1898/99, Mordahay began work in Istanbul, with two unpaid years as a mülazım (apprentice) before a first salary of 100 kuruş. The first annual entry, for 1900/01, places Mordahay in Istanbul, the birthplace, as a chief official for foreign communications (Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Başmemuru), where the entries run to 1902/03. The last posts were in Beyoğlu from 1903 to 1906.

The salary went from 100 kuruş a month in 1900/01 to 300 in 1904/05, the peak, as Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Başmemuru in Beyoğlu, when 23 per cent of paid officials earned less. In all, six years of salary come to 13,800 kuruş, 39 per cent of what an official on the median salary earned in those years. The final 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.

All 2 stops
birthplaceplace of annual entriesmove, with the year of the first entry there
12Istanbul, Beyoğlu

  1. Istanbul (Dersaadet)

    Born 1883/84 (AH 1301); First work 1898/99 (AH 1316); 1900 to 1903 (AH 1318 to 1320)

    Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Başmemuru

    100 kuruş a month; entries in 3 years

  2. Beyoğlu

    1903 to 1906 (AH 1321 to 1323)

    Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Başmemuru

    250 to 300 kuruş a month; entries in 3 years

Career and salary

All years
Monthly salary by year, kuruşsalary of the yearyears with one job titleno annual entry
01002003001900/01AH 13181901/02AH 13191902/03AH 13201903/04AH 13211904/05AH 13221905/06AH 1323300 kuruşMuhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Başmemuru
Salary against the medians of the same year
1002005001,0001900/01AH 13181901/02AH 13191902/03AH 13201903/04AH 13211904/05AH 13221905/06AH 1323This officialMedian, all officialsMedian, same titleMedian, same province

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
Salary of Mordahay Efendi against the medians of the same year, kuruş a month
YearSalaryMedian, all officialsMedian, same titleMedian, same provincePaid less
1900/011005005654501%
1901/021005004504401%
1902/031005004804501%
1903/0425047560045014%
1904/0530045055545023%
1905/0630047590042523%

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.

Career of Mordahay Efendi, one row per stage
YearsTitlePlaceSalary (kuruş a month)
1898/99AH 1316First workIstanbul (Dersaadet)100first-salary field
1900 to 1903AH 1318 to 1320Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Başmemuru
3 entries
YearSalary
1900/01100
1901/02100
1902/03100
Istanbul (Dersaadet)100
1903 to 1906AH 1321 to 1323Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Başmemuru
3 entries
YearSalary
1903/04250
1904/05300
1905/06300
Beyoğlu250 to 300

Record

Personal

Born
1883/84 (AH 1301)
Community
Jewish (Musevi)
Nationality as recorded
Yahudi
Father's occupation
Esnaf

Education

Community school
Millet Mektebi (4 years)community school (school of a non-Muslim community)
Unpaid years (mülazemet)
2 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.

First work

Year
1898/99 (AH 1316)
First salary field (kuruş a month)
100

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 Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Başmemuru in Beyoğlu in the same years, Mordahay Efendi had the lowest salary.

Same place, same years

Of the 740 officials with entries in Istanbul in the same years, Mordahay Efendi had the 559th highest salary.

All 1,750 officials with entries in Istanbul

Same job title, same years

Of the 27 officials with the title Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Başmemuru in the same years, Mordahay Efendi had the 25th highest salary.

All 51 officials with the title Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Başmemuru

Same school

Of the 263 officials with Millet Mektebi among their schools, Mordahay Efendi had the 212th highest salary.

All 263 officials with Millet Mektebi

Same birthplace

Of the 1,999 officials born in Istanbul, 1,997 have a recorded salary; Mordahay Efendi had the 1,419th highest salary of them.

The page of Istanbul, with the 1,999 officials born there

First annual entry in the same year

Of the 140 officials whose first annual entry is for 1900/01 (AH 1318), 139 have a recorded salary; Mordahay Efendi had the 84th highest salary of them.

Full record

Annual entries (6)

Annual entries of Mordahay Efendi
YearTitlePlaceKuruş a monthInstitutionSourceArchive reference
1900/01AH 1318Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye BaşmemuruIstanbul (Dersaadet)100Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)Recovered annual personnel extract119_119
1901/02AH 1319Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye BaşmemuruIstanbul (Dersaadet)100Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)Recovered annual personnel extract119_119
1902/03AH 1320Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye BaşmemuruIstanbul (Dersaadet)100Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)Recovered annual personnel extract119_119
1903/04AH 1321Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye BaşmemuruBeyoğlu250Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)Recovered annual personnel extract119_119
1904/05AH 1322Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye BaşmemuruBeyoğlu300Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)Recovered annual personnel extract119_119
1905/06AH 1323Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye BaşmemuruBeyoğlu300Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)Recovered annual personnel extract119_119
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)

Recorded values of Mordahay Efendi with their sources
FieldRecorded valueSource
Identity
NameMordahay EfendiPersonnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
Birth year (AH)1301Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
BirthplaceistanbulRecovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
Province of birthdersaadetRecovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
Father's occupationesnafRecovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
ReligionMuseviRecovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
Nationality or communityYahudiRecovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
Schooling
SchoolMillet MektebiRecovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
Years of schooling4Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
Years of apprenticeship (mülazemet)2Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
First work
First work: year (AH)1316Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
First work: Gregorian year as stored1898Recovered annual personnel extract
First work: placeDersaadetRecovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
First salary field (kuruş a month)100Recovered 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.
  • 6 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.

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