Official
Mehmet Sait Efendi
Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Damascus (Şam) in 1868/69 (AH 1285). On record 1887 to 1901, 14 annual entries.
Archive reference 0094_22; 41
Life#
Mehmet Sait Efendi was born in Damascus (Şam) in 1868/69 (AH 1285), into the Muslim (Müslüman) community. Schooling took seven years, at a middle school (Rüşdiye Mektebi); Mehmet Sait also wrote Turkish and spoke Arabic.
Work began in Damascus in 1882/83, at about 15, with five unpaid years as a mülazım (apprentice) before a first salary of 150 kuruş. The first annual entry, for 1887/88, places Mehmet Sait in Damascus, the birthplace, as a registry clerk (Mukayyit), where the entries run to 1891/92. Mehmet Sait then moved to Beirut (Beyrut), Damascus and Hayme from 1892 to 1895, with a rise to communications official (Muhabere Memuru) in 1892/93 and to director of the third grade (3. Müdür) in 1894/95. The last posts were in Damascus again from 1895 to 1901, first in the Emanet Kitabeti, from 1900/01 in the clerkship of the chief director's office (Başmüdür Kitabeti).
Pay rose from 150 kuruş a month in 1887/88 to a peak of 600 in 1899/1900, in the Emanet Kitabeti in Damascus, when 70 per cent of paid officials earned less. The last annual entry is for 1900/01.
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 1868/69 (AH 1285); First work 1882/83 (AH 1300); 1887 to 1892 (AH 1305 to 1309)
Mukayyit 1887 to 1891 (AH 1305 to 1308); Mekâtib Memuru 1891/92 (AH 1309)
150 kuruş a month; entries in 5 years
1895 to 1901 (AH 1313 to 1318)
Emanet Kitabeti 1895 to 1900 (AH 1313 to 1317); Başmüdür Kitabeti 1900/01 (AH 1318)
500 to 600 kuruş a month; entries in 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1887/88 | 150 | 500 | 300 | 500 | 2% |
| 1888/89 | 150 | 500 | 300 | 500 | 2% |
| 1889/90 | 150 | 500 | 300 | 500 | 5% |
| 1890/91 | 150 | 500 | 200 | 500 | 5% |
| 1891/92 | 150 | 500 | 250 | 450 | 6% |
| 1892/93 | 400 | 500 | 400 | 500 | 29% |
| 1893/94 | 360 | 500 | 400 | 500 | 25% |
| 1894/95 | 500 | 500 | 600 | 500 | 46% |
| 1895/96 | 500 | 500 | 500 | 500 | 47% |
| 1896/97 | 500 | 500 | 500 | 500 | 49% |
| 1897/98 | 500 | 500 | 500 | 500 | 49% |
| 1898/99 | 500 | 500 | 540 | 500 | 48% |
| 1899/1900 | 600 | 500 | 615 | 500 | 70% |
| 1900/01 | 600 | 500 | 585 | 540 | 67% |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1882/83AH 1300 | First work | Damascus (Şam) | 150first-salary field |
| 1887 to 1891AH 1305 to 1308 | Mukayyit | Damascus (Şam) | 150 |
| 1891/92AH 1309 | Mekâtib Memuru | Damascus (Şam) | 150 |
| 1892/93AH 1310 | Muhabere Memuru | Beirut (Beyrut) | 400 |
| 1893/94AH 1311 | Muhabere Memuru | Damascus (Şam) | 360 |
| 1894/95AH 1312 | 3. Müdür | Hayme | 500 |
| 1895 to 1900AH 1313 to 1317 | Emanet Kitabeti | Damascus (Şam) | 500 to 600 |
| 1900/01AH 1318 | Başmüdür Kitabeti | Damascus (Şam) | 600 |
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1868/69 (AH 1285)
- Birthplace
- Damascus (Şam)
- Community
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Nationality as recorded
- Turkish
Education
- Rüşdiye
- Rüşdiye Mektebi (7 years)rüşdiye school (middle school)
- Unpaid years (mülazemet)
- 5 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
- Arabic
- Tekellumspeaking
- Turkish
- Kitabetwriting
The glosses are cautious historical readings of the recorded words, not modern levels of proficiency.
First work
- Year
- 1882/83 (AH 1300)
- Place
- Damascus (Şam)
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 150
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 Emanet Kitabeti in Damascus (Şam) in the same years, Mehmet Sait Efendi had the lowest salary.
- Mehmet Fehim Efendi2 shared years; highest salary 615 kuruş
Same place, same years
Of the 65 officials with entries in Damascus (Şam) in the same years, Mehmet Sait Efendi had the 32nd highest salary.
- Ahmet Reşid Bey12 shared years; highest salary 1,200 kuruş
- Ahmet Emin Efendi12 shared years; highest salary 790 kuruş
- Mahmut Hilmi Efendi10 shared years; highest salary 3,000 kuruş
- Mustafa Hakkı Efendi9 shared years; highest salary 700 kuruş
- Mahmut Nedim Efendi8 shared years; highest salary 1,140 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 10 officials with the title Emanet Kitabeti in the same years, Mehmet Sait Efendi had the 8th highest salary.
- Mehmet Raşit Efendi5 shared years; highest salary 725 kuruş
- Mehmed Şecaüddin Efendi5 shared years; highest salary 700 kuruş
- Mustafa Raif Efendi5 shared years; highest salary 700 kuruş
- Ahmet Cevdet Efendi3 shared years; highest salary 450 kuruş
- Ali Rıza Efendi3 shared years; highest salary 440 kuruş
Same school
Of the 3,206 officials with Rüşdiye Mektebi among their schools, 3,200 have a recorded salary; Mehmet Sait Efendi had the 852nd highest salary of them.
- Ahmed Tevfik Efendiborn 1868/69 (AH 1285); highest salary 594 kuruş
- Ahmet Hamdi Efendiborn 1868/69 (AH 1285); highest salary 450 kuruş
- Ahmet Rifat Efendiborn 1868/69 (AH 1285); highest salary 540 kuruş
- Ahmet Sami Efendiborn 1868/69 (AH 1285); highest salary 200 kuruş
- Ahmet Sami Efendiborn 1868/69 (AH 1285); highest salary 800 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 59 officials born in Damascus (Şam), Mehmet Sait Efendi had the 14th highest salary.
- Tevfik Efendiborn 1868/69 (AH 1285); highest salary 500 kuruş
- Salih Necati Efendiborn 1867/68 (AH 1284); highest salary 2,000 kuruş
- Mehmet Ali Efendiborn 1870/71 (AH 1287); highest salary 500 kuruş
- Mahmut Nedim Efendiborn 1865/66 (AH 1282); highest salary 1,140 kuruş
- Kadri Efendiborn 1871/72 (AH 1288); highest salary 400 kuruş
The page of Damascus (Şam), with the 59 officials born there
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 89 officials whose first annual entry is for 1887/88 (AH 1305), Mehmet Sait Efendi had the 37th highest salary.
- Mehmet Rüştü Efendifirst entry in Damascus (Şam); highest salary 600 kuruş
- Ahmet Hakki Efendifirst entry in Mabeyni humayun; highest salary 2,500 kuruş
- Fethullah Kemal Efendifirst entry in Aleppo (Halep); highest salary 500 kuruş
- Hafız Ahmet Hamdi Efendifirst entry in Aydın; highest salary 200 kuruş
- Hafız Ahmet Vefik Efendifirst entry in Thessaloniki (Selanik); highest salary 340 kuruş
Full record
Annual entries (14)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1887/88AH 1305 | Mukayyit | Damascus (Şam) | 150 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0094_22; 41 |
| 1888/89AH 1306 | Mukayyit | Damascus (Şam) | 150 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0094_22; 41 |
| 1889/90AH 1307 | Mukayyit | Damascus (Şam) | 150 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0094_22; 41 |
| 1890/91AH 1308 | Mukayyit | Damascus (Şam) | 150 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0094_22; 41 |
| 1891/92AH 1309 | Mekâtib Memuru | Damascus (Şam) | 150 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0094_22; 41 |
| 1892/93AH 1310 | Muhabere Memuru | Beirut (Beyrut) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0094_22; 41 |
| 1893/94AH 1311 | Muhabere Memuru | Damascus (Şam) | 360 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0094_22; 41 |
| 1894/95AH 1312 | 3. Müdür | Hayme | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0094_22; 41 |
| 1895/96AH 1313 | Emanet Kitabeti | Damascus (Şam) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0094_22; 41 |
| 1896/97AH 1314 | Emanet Kitabeti | Damascus (Şam) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0094_22; 41 |
| 1897/98AH 1315 | Emanet Kitabeti | Damascus (Şam) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0094_22; 41 |
| 1898/99AH 1316 | Emanet Kitabeti | Damascus (Şam) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0094_22; 41 |
| 1899/1900AH 1317 | Emanet Kitabeti | Damascus (Şam) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0094_22; 41 |
| 1900/01AH 1318 | Başmüdür Kitabeti | Damascus (Şam) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0094_22; 41 |
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 | Mehmet Sait Efendi | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birth year (AH) | 1285 | 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 |
| 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) | 5 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work | ||
| First work: year (AH) | 1300 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1883 | Recovered annual personnel extract |
| First work: place | sam | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First salary field (kuruş a month) | 150 | 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.
- 14 annual entries of 14 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 Sait Efendi
- Emanet Kitabeti
- Damascus (Şam)
- Rüşdiye school (Rüşdiye Mektebi)
- Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Registry clerk (Mukayyit)
- 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)