Official
Mehmet Sait Efendi
Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Baghdad (Bağdat) in 1873/74 (AH 1290). On record 1892 to 1907, 15 annual entries.
Archive reference 0088_0226: 447
Life#
Mehmet Sait Efendi was born in Baghdad (Bağdat) in 1873/74 (AH 1290) into the Muslim (Müslüman) community; the father was a tradesman (esnaf). Schooling took seven years, at a middle school (Rüşdiye Mektebi); Mehmet Sait also wrote Turkish and spoke Arabic and Persian.
Work began in Baghdad in 1887/88, at about 15, with five unpaid years as a mülazım (apprentice) before a first salary of 250 kuruş. The first annual entry, for 1892/93, places Mehmet Sait in Amarah (Amare) as a communications official (Muhabere Memuru). Mehmet Sait then moved to Miqdadiyah (Şehriban) and Hammar from 1893 to 1896, then Mandali (Mendeli) from 1896 to 1906, with a rise to director of the third grade (3. Müdür). The last post was in Hillah (Hille) in 1906/07.
The salary went from 250 kuruş a month in 1892/93 to 500 in 1896/97, the peak, as 3. Müdür in Mandali, when half the paid officials earned less. 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 1873/74 (AH 1290); First work 1887/88 (AH 1305)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1892/93 | 250 | 500 | 400 | 13% |
| 1893/94 | 275 | 500 | 400 | 16% |
| 1894/95 | 475 | 500 | 400 | 44% |
| 1895/96 | 475 | 500 | 400 | 45% |
| 1896/97 | 500 | 500 | 540 | 49% |
| 1897/98 | 500 | 500 | 540 | 49% |
| 1898/99 | 500 | 500 | 540 | 48% |
| 1899/1900 | 500 | 500 | 540 | 47% |
| 1900/01 | 500 | 500 | 540 | 47% |
| 1901/02 | 500 | 500 | 540 | 49% |
| 1902/03 | 500 | 500 | 540 | 49% |
| 1903/04 | 500 | 475 | 540 | 51% |
| 1904/05 | 500 | 450 | 540 | 52% |
| 1905/06 | 500 | 475 | 540 | 50% |
| 1906/07 | 500 | 450 | 300 | 51% |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1887/88AH 1305 | First work | Baghdad (Bağdat) | 250first-salary field |
| 1892/93AH 1310 | Muhabere Memuru | Amarah (Amare) | 250 |
| 1893/94AH 1311 | Muhabere Memuru | Miqdadiyah (Şehriban) | 275 |
| 1894 to 1896AH 1312 to 1313 | Muhabere Memuru | Hammar | 475 |
| 1896 to 1906AH 1314 to 1323 | 3. Müdür | Mandali (Mendeli) | 500 |
| 1906/07AH 1324 | Muhabere Memuru | Hillah (Hille) | 500 |
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1873/74 (AH 1290)
- Birthplace
- Baghdad (Bağdat)
- Community
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Nationality as recorded
- Turkish
- Father's occupation
- Esnaf
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
- Persian
- Tekellumspeaking
- Turkish
- Kitabetwriting
The glosses are cautious historical readings of the recorded words, not modern levels of proficiency.
First work
- Year
- 1887/88 (AH 1305)
- Place
- Baghdad (Bağdat)
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 250
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 3 officials with entries in Amarah (Amare) in the same years, Mehmet Sait Efendi had the lowest salary.
- Mehmet İzzet Efendi1 shared year; highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- Sason Efendi1 shared year; highest salary 1,000 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 576 officials with the title 3. Müdür in the same years, Mehmet Sait Efendi had the 459th highest salary.
- İsmail Sabri Efendi10 shared years; highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- Abdullah Efendi10 shared years; highest salary 720 kuruş
- Melkon İskenderyan Efendi10 shared years; highest salary 700 kuruş
- Osman Efendi10 shared years; highest salary 650 kuruş
- Mehmet Şevket Efendi10 shared years; highest salary 640 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 1,253rd highest salary of them.
- Abbas Rüştü Efendiborn 1873/74 (AH 1290); highest salary 1,500 kuruş
- Abdülaziz Efendiborn 1873/74 (AH 1290); highest salary 750 kuruş
- Abdülbaki Efendiborn 1873/74 (AH 1290); highest salary 400 kuruş
- Abdülkerim Efendiborn 1873/74 (AH 1290); highest salary 675 kuruş
- Abdullah Efendiborn 1873/74 (AH 1290); highest salary 720 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 73 officials born in Baghdad (Bağdat), Mehmet Sait Efendi had the 39th highest salary.
- Abdülaziz Hikmet Efendiborn 1873/74 (AH 1290); highest salary 600 kuruş
- Mehmet Rauf Efendiborn 1873/74 (AH 1290); highest salary 500 kuruş
- Mehmet Said Efendiborn 1873/74 (AH 1290); highest salary 300 kuruş
- Unnamed official (0094_2; 1)born 1873/74 (AH 1290); highest salary 400 kuruş
- İlyas Şavalborn 1874/75 (AH 1291); highest salary 500 kuruş
The page of Baghdad (Bağdat), with the 73 officials born there
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 189 officials whose first annual entry is for 1892/93 (AH 1310), Mehmet Sait Efendi had the 83rd highest salary.
- Abdülaziz Hikmet Efendifirst entry in Basra; highest salary 600 kuruş
- Abdürrahim Haşim Efendifirst entry in Sirkeci; highest salary 750 kuruş
- Ahmet Hulusi Efendifirst entry in Chios (Sakız); highest salary 500 kuruş
- Ahmet İzzet Efendifirst entry in Yozgat; highest salary 380 kuruş
- Ahmet Mahmut Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 800 kuruş
Full record
Annual entries (15)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1892/93AH 1310 | Muhabere Memuru | Amarah (Amare) | 250 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0088_0226: 447 |
| 1893/94AH 1311 | Muhabere Memuru | Miqdadiyah (Şehriban) | 275 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0088_0226: 447 |
| 1894/95AH 1312 | Muhabere Memuru | Hammar | 475 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0088_0226: 447 |
| 1895/96AH 1313 | Muhabere Memuru | Hammar | 475 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0088_0226: 447 |
| 1896/97AH 1314 | 3. Müdür | Mandali (Mendeli) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0088_0226: 447 |
| 1897/98AH 1315 | 3. Müdür | Mandali (Mendeli) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0088_0226: 447 |
| 1898/99AH 1316 | 3. Müdür | Mandali (Mendeli) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0088_0226: 447 |
| 1899/1900AH 1317 | 3. Müdür | Mandali (Mendeli) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0088_0226: 447 |
| 1900/01AH 1318 | 3. Müdür | Mandali (Mendeli) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0088_0226: 447 |
| 1901/02AH 1319 | 3. Müdür | Mandali (Mendeli) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0088_0226: 447 |
| 1902/03AH 1320 | 3. Müdür | Mandali (Mendeli) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0088_0226: 447 |
| 1903/04AH 1321 | 3. Müdür | Mandali (Mendeli) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0088_0226: 447 |
| 1904/05AH 1322 | 3. Müdür | Mandali (Mendeli) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0088_0226: 447 |
| 1905/06AH 1323 | 3. Müdür | Mandali (Mendeli) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0088_0226: 447 |
| 1906/07AH 1324 | Muhabere Memuru | Hillah (Hille) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0088_0226: 447 |
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 Sait Efendi | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birth year (AH) | 1290 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birthplace | bagdat | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Province of birth | bagdat | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Father's occupation | esnaf | 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) | 1305 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1888 | Recovered annual personnel extract |
| First work: place | Bagdat | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First salary field (kuruş a month) | 250 | 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 15 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
- Director of the third grade (3. Müdür)
- Mandali (Mendeli)
- Baghdad (Bağdat)
- 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)