Official
Ahmet Besim Efendi
Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Bihcova in 1846/47 (AH 1263). On record 1874 to 1898, 25 annual entries.
Archive reference 8_50; 95
Life#
Born in Bihcova in 1846/47 (AH 1263), Ahmet Besim Efendi came from the Muslim (Müslüman) community. Ahmet Besim had seven years of schooling, at a middle school (Rüşdiye Mektebi), attended the telegraph school as well, and wrote Turkish and had some knowledge of Greek (Rum).
At about 24, in 1871/72, Ahmet Besim began work in Istanbul, with three unpaid years as a mülazım (apprentice) before a first salary of 450 kuruş. The annual lists begin in 1874/75, with Ahmet Besim as a communications official (Muhabere Memuru) in Korçë (Görice). Next came Kozani (Kozana), Prilep (Pirlepe), Bitola (Manastır) and Kayalar, four places in ten years, with a rise to director of the third grade (3. Müdür) in 1882/83, then Seciste from 1885 to 1893. The annual lists then follow Ahmet Besim to Kastoria in 1893/94. The last posts were in Kopruyoz from 1894 to 1898.
The salary went from 450 kuruş a month in 1874/75 to 500 in 1882/83, the peak, as 3. Müdür in Kayalar, when 43 per cent of paid officials earned less. In all, 25 years of salary come to 139,680 kuruş, about what an official on the median salary earned in those years. The final annual entry is for 1897/98.
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 1846/47 (AH 1263)
First work 1871/72 (AH 1288)
1878 to 1880 (AH 1296 to 1297)
380 to 400 kuruş a month; entries in 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1874/75 | 450 | 535 | 450 | 450 | 32% |
| 1875/76 | 450 | 530 | 400 | 400 | 34% |
| 1876/77 | 400 | 582.5 | 410 | 400 | 17% |
| 1877/78 | 400 | 560 | 410 | 500 | 16% |
| 1878 | 400 | 600 | 500 | 500 | 17% |
| 1878/79 | 400 | 600 | 420 | 400 | 18% |
| 1879/80 | 380 | 500 | 380 | 500 | 22% |
| 1880/81 | 380 | 500 | 400 | 500 | 21% |
| 1881/82 | 380 | 500 | 400 | 500 | 20% |
| 1882/83 | 500 | 500 | 600 | 500 | 43% |
| 1883/84 | 500 | 500 | 600 | 550 | 43% |
| 1884/85 | 500 | 500 | 600 | 550 | 42% |
| 1885/86 | 500 | 500 | 600 | 500 | 42% |
| 1886/87 | 500 | 500 | 600 | 500 | 42% |
| 1887/88 | 500 | 500 | 600 | 500 | 41% |
| 1888/89 | 500 | 500 | 600 | 500 | 41% |
| 1889/90 | 500 | 500 | 600 | 500 | 42% |
| 1890/91 | 500 | 500 | 600 | 500 | 43% |
| 1891/92 | 500 | 500 | 600 | 500 | 43% |
| 1892/93 | 500 | 500 | 600 | 500 | 44% |
| 1893/94 | 500 | 500 | 400 | 500 | 46% |
| 1894/95 | 500 | 500 | 600 | 500 | 46% |
| 1895/96 | 500 | 500 | 600 | 500 | 47% |
| 1896/97 | 500 | 500 | 540 | 500 | 49% |
| 1897/98 | 500 | 500 | 540 | 500 | 49% |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1871/72AH 1288 | First work | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 450first-salary field |
| 1874 to 1876AH 1291 to 1292 | Muhabere Memuru | Korçë (Görice) | 450 |
| 1876 to 1878AH 1293 to 1295 | Muhabere Memuru | Kozani (Kozana) | 400 |
| 1878 to 1880AH 1296 to 1297 | Muhabere Memuru | Prilep (Pirlepe) | 400 to 380 |
| 1880 to 1882AH 1298 to 1299 | Muhabere Memuru | Bitola (Manastır) | 380 |
| 1882 to 1885AH 1300 to 1302 | 3. Müdür | Kayalar | 500 |
| 1885 to 1893AH 1303 to 1310 | 3. Müdür | Seciste | 500 |
| 1893/94AH 1311 | Muhabere Memuru | Kastoria (Kesriye) | 500 |
| 1894 to 1898AH 1312 to 1315 | 3. Müdür | Kopruyoz | 500 |
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1846/47 (AH 1263)
- Birthplace
- Bihcova
- Community
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Nationality as recorded
- Turkish
Education
- Rüşdiye
- Rüşdiye Mektebi (7 years)rüşdiye school (middle school)
- Higher or professional
- Telgraf Mektebitelegraph school; recorded as a code
- Unpaid years (mülazemet)
- 3 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
- Greek (Rum)
- asinafamiliarity. Rum is the word of the records for Greek as spoken by the Orthodox Christians of the empire. It is kept apart from the column Greek, which the records also have
- Turkish
- Kitabetwriting
The glosses are cautious historical readings of the recorded words, not modern levels of proficiency.
First work
- Year
- 1871/72 (AH 1288)
- Place
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 450
Legal records
- Legal record note as worded
- Hırsızlık / Mumaileyh bazı kimselerin mektuplarını açıp okutturmakta ve Atina'dan Jan Golafas namına gelen ve derununda iki aded yarım Fransız altını bulunan bir taahhüdlü mektubu açarak meblağ-ı mezburu aldıktan sonra diğer bir mektub tertib ile derununa bakır akçe vaz eylediği ve telgrafların ücretini alıp keşide etmediği hakkında edilen şübhe üzerine mahalli müfettişlikten tahkikat icra edilip bu babda bir emareye dest-res olunamamış ise de bu merkezde bekası caiz olamayacağından bin üç yüz on bir senesi şehr-i Rebiülahirinin on sekizinde 17 Teşrinievvel sene 1309 beş yüz kuruş maaş ile ve becayiş suretiyle Kesriye Merkezi Telgraf ve Posta Muhabere Memuriyeti'ne nakil edilmiştir.; Zimmet
- Years (AH) with a criminal-record mark in the annual records
- 1311; 1312; 1313; 1314; 1315
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 Muhabere Memuru in Prilep (Pirlepe) in the same years, Ahmet Besim Efendi had the lowest salary.
- Unnamed official (23_38; 73)2 shared years; highest salary 800 kuruş
Same place, same years
Of the 2 officials with entries in Prilep (Pirlepe) in the same years, Ahmet Besim Efendi had the lowest salary.
- Unnamed official (23_38; 73)2 shared years; highest salary 800 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 370 officials with the title 3. Müdür in the same years, Ahmet Besim Efendi had the 313th highest salary.
- Nebil Efendi15 shared years; highest salary 800 kuruş
- Ahmet Nazif Efendi14 shared years; highest salary 950 kuruş
- Erkri Hristro Efendi14 shared years; highest salary 800 kuruş
- Osman Nuri Efendi14 shared years; highest salary 800 kuruş
- Osman Rıfat Efendi14 shared years; highest salary 800 kuruş
Same school
Of the 3,206 officials with Rüşdiye Mektebi among their schools, 3,200 have a recorded salary; Ahmet Besim Efendi had the 1,253rd highest salary of them.
- Abdullah Hilmi Efendiborn 1846/47 (AH 1263); highest salary 1,500 kuruş
- Abdullah Hilmi Efendiborn 1846/47 (AH 1263); highest salary 1,500 kuruş
- Ahmet Hamdi Efendiborn 1846/47 (AH 1263); highest salary 800 kuruş
- Ahmet Reşid Beyborn 1846/47 (AH 1263); highest salary 1,200 kuruş
- Cemal Efendiborn 1846/47 (AH 1263); highest salary 1,000 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 2 officials born in Bihcova, Ahmet Besim Efendi had the lowest salary.
- Mustafa Efendiborn 1869/70 (AH 1286); highest salary 600 kuruş
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 55 officials whose first annual entry is for 1874/75 (AH 1291), Ahmet Besim Efendi had the 40th highest salary.
- Ahmet Faik Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 1,170 kuruş
- Mustafa Hakkı Beyfirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 650 kuruş
- Unnamed official (0049_0023; 43)first entry in Konya; highest salary 500 kuruş
- Mehmet Arif Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 750 kuruş
- Yusuf Kemal Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 1,000 kuruş
All 55 officials whose first annual entry is for 1874/75 (AH 1291)
Full record
Annual entries (25)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1874/75AH 1291 | Muhabere Memuru | Korçë (Görice) | 450 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_50; 95 |
| 1875/76AH 1292 | Muhabere Memuru | Korçë (Görice) | 450 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_50; 95 |
| 1876/77AH 1293 | Muhabere Memuru | Kozani (Kozana) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_50; 95 |
| 1877/78AH 1294 | Muhabere Memuru | Kozani (Kozana) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_50; 95 |
| 1878AH 1295 | Muhabere Memuru | Kozani (Kozana) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_50; 95 |
| 1878/79AH 1296 | Muhabere Memuru | Prilep (Pirlepe) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_50; 95 |
| 1879/80AH 1297 | Muhabere Memuru | Prilep (Pirlepe) | 380 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_50; 95 |
| 1880/81AH 1298 | Muhabere Memuru | Bitola (Manastır) | 380 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_50; 95 |
| 1881/82AH 1299 | Muhabere Memuru | Bitola (Manastır) | 380 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_50; 95 |
| 1882/83AH 1300 | 3. Müdür | Kayalar | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_50; 95 |
| 1883/84AH 1301 | 3. Müdür | Kayalar | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_50; 95 |
| 1884/85AH 1302 | 3. Müdür | Kayalar | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_50; 95 |
| 1885/86AH 1303 | 3. Müdür | Seciste | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_50; 95 |
| 1886/87AH 1304 | 3. Müdür | Seciste | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_50; 95 |
| 1887/88AH 1305 | 3. Müdür | Seciste | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_50; 95 |
| 1888/89AH 1306 | 3. Müdür | Seciste | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_50; 95 |
| 1889/90AH 1307 | 3. Müdür | Seciste | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_50; 95 |
| 1890/91AH 1308 | 3. Müdür | Seciste | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_50; 95 |
| 1891/92AH 1309 | 3. Müdür | Seciste | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_50; 95 |
| 1892/93AH 1310 | 3. Müdür | Seciste | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_50; 95 |
| 1893/94AH 1311 | Muhabere Memuru | Kastoria (Kesriye) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_50; 95 |
| 1894/95AH 1312 | 3. Müdür | Kopruyoz | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_50; 95 |
| 1895/96AH 1313 | 3. Müdür | Kopruyoz | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_50; 95 |
| 1896/97AH 1314 | 3. Müdür | Kopruyoz | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_50; 95 |
| 1897/98AH 1315 | 3. Müdür | Kopruyoz | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_50; 95 |
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 (17)
| Field | Recorded value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Name | Ahmet Besim Efendi | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birth year (AH) | 1263 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birthplace | bihcova | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Province of birth | kosova | 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 |
| Telegraph school (recorded code) | 1 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Years of apprenticeship (mülazemet) | 3 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work | ||
| First work: year (AH) | 1288 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1871 | Recovered annual personnel extract |
| First work: place | istanbul | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First salary field (kuruş a month) | 450 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Legal records | ||
| Legal record note as worded | Hırsızlık / Mumaileyh bazı kimselerin mektuplarını açıp okutturmakta ve Atina'dan Jan Golafas namına gelen ve derununda iki aded yarım Fransız altını bulunan bir taahhüdlü mektubu açarak meblağ-ı mezburu aldıktan sonra diğer bir mektub tertib ile derununa bakır akçe vaz eylediği ve telgrafların ücretini alıp keşide etmediği hakkında edilen şübhe üzerine mahalli müfettişlikten tahkikat icra edilip bu babda bir emareye dest-res olunamamış ise de bu merkezde bekası caiz olamayacağından bin üç yüz on bir senesi şehr-i Rebiülahirinin on sekizinde 17 Teşrinievvel sene 1309 beş yüz kuruş maaş ile ve becayiş suretiyle Kesriye Merkezi Telgraf ve Posta Muhabere Memuriyeti'ne nakil edilmiştir. used on this page | Legal notes (earlier workbook copy); Legal notes (later workbook copy) |
| Legal record note as worded | Zimmet other value | Legal notes (earlier workbook copy); Legal notes (later workbook copy) |
| Years (AH) with a criminal-record mark in the annual records | 1311; 1312; 1313; 1314; 1315 | Later annual personnel extract |
What the sources named in this table are
- Legal notes (earlier workbook copy)
- A workbook of notes on legal records. The wording is kept as written. It may hold an accusation or an acquittal, it is not the finding of a court, and its year is the year of the record, not the date of an event.
- Legal notes (later workbook copy)
- A later copy of the workbook of notes on legal records. The same wording in both copies is one note, not two.
- Later annual personnel extract
- The detailed annual personnel file of October 2025. It marks single annual entries with a criminal-record flag and holds status words such as Vefat. For a death, the year is the year of the annual list in which the status word stands.
- 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.
- 25 annual entries of 25 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
- Ahmet Besim Efendi
- Director of the third grade (3. Müdür)
- Seciste
- Bihcova
- 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)