Official
Mehmed Zülfikar Efendi
Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Harput in 1870/71 (AH 1287). On record 1882 to 1908, 26 annual entries.
Archive reference 146-137-269
Life#
Born in Harput in 1870/71 (AH 1287) into the Muslim (Müslüman) community, Mehmed Zülfikar Efendi was the child of a tradesman (esnaf). At about 13, in 1882/83, Mehmed Zülfikar began work in the telegraph service (Telgraf) in Jableh (Cebele), paid from the start, on 400 kuruş a month. Few began so young; fewer than 6 per cent of the 5,128 officials whose age at first work is known started at 13 or younger. The first annual entry, for 1882/83, places Mehmed Zülfikar in Jableh as an official (Memur), where the entries run to 1887/88. The annual lists then follow Mehmed Zülfikar to Mersin in 1888/89 and Adana in 1889/90, then Deir ez-Zor (Deyrizor) from 1890 to 1897. Next came Şanlıurfa (Urfa) from 1897 to 1900, then Sakkul acz from 1900 to 1906. The last post was in Bitlis in 1906/07. Few officials served in as many provinces; fewer than 7 per cent of the 5,200 officials with a place of service did.
Pay rose from 400 kuruş a month in 1882/83 to a peak of 1,000 in 1900/01, as a postal official (Posta Memuru) in Sakkul acz, when 87 per cent of paid officials earned less. The final annual entry is for 1907/08. An entry in "Sicill-i ahvâl defterlerine göre Harputlu devlet adamları" by ENES MUTLUAY (2018) probably refers to Mehmed Zülfikar, since the name, the birthplace and the archive register and second number agree.
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 1882/83 (AH 1300); 1882 to 1888 (AH 1300 to 1305)
First work as Telgraf
Memur 1882 to 1884 (AH 1300 to 1301); İstifa (resignation (a note on status, not a job)) 1884/85 (AH 1302)
400 kuruş a month; entries in 6 years
1890 to 1897 (AH 1308 to 1314)
400 kuruş a month; entries in 7 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.
The numbers of the chart
| Year | Salary | Median, all officials | Median, same title | Paid less |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1882/83 | 400 | 500 | 400 | 28% |
| 1883/84 | 400 | 500 | 425 | 27% |
| 1888/89 | 350 | 500 | 18% | |
| 1890/91 | 400 | 500 | 380 | 28% |
| 1891/92 | 400 | 500 | 350 | 29% |
| 1892/93 | 400 | 500 | 350 | 29% |
| 1893/94 | 400 | 500 | 350 | 30% |
| 1894/95 | 400 | 500 | 380 | 30% |
| 1895/96 | 400 | 500 | 352.5 | 30% |
| 1896/97 | 400 | 500 | 350 | 32% |
| 1897/98 | 400 | 500 | 350 | 32% |
| 1898/99 | 400 | 500 | 387.5 | 31% |
| 1899/1900 | 400 | 500 | 400 | 31% |
| 1900/01 | 1,000 | 500 | 400 | 87% |
| 1901/02 | 1,000 | 500 | 400 | 87% |
| 1902/03 | 1,000 | 500 | 400 | 87% |
| 1903/04 | 1,000 | 475 | 400 | 87% |
| 1904/05 | 1,000 | 450 | 400 | 87% |
| 1905/06 | 1,000 | 475 | 400 | 86% |
| 1906/07 | 900 | 450 | 800 | 82% |
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 | Telgraffirst work | Jableh (Cebele) | 400first-salary field |
| 1882/83AH 1300 | Memur | Jableh (Cebele) | 400 |
| 1883/84AH 1301 | Memur | Jableh (Cebele) | 400 |
| 1884/85AH 1302 | İstifaresignation (a note on status, not a job) | Jableh (Cebele) | |
| 1885 to 1888AH 1303 to 1305 | Jableh (Cebele) | ||
| 1888/89AH 1306 | Duyunu Umumiye Memuru | Mersin | 350 |
| 1889/90AH 1307 | Adana | ||
| 1890 to 1897AH 1308 to 1314 | Posta Memuru | Deir ez-Zor (Deyrizor) | 400 |
| 1897 to 1900AH 1315 to 1317 | Posta Memuru | Şanlıurfa (Urfa) | 400 |
| 1900 to 1906AH 1318 to 1323 | Posta Memuru | Sakkul acz | 1,000 |
| 1906/07AH 1324 | 2. Müdür | Bitlis | 900 |
| 1907/08AH 1325 | Azildismissal (a note on status, not a job) | Bitlis |
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1870/71 (AH 1287)
- Birthplace
- Harput
- Community
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Nationality as recorded
- Turkish
- Father's occupation
- Esnaf
Education
- Rüşdiye
- Rüşdiye Mektebi (7 years)rüşdiye school (middle school); place of the school as worded: Halep
- Unpaid years (mülazemet)
- 0 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
- French
- Kitabetwriting
- 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
- Jableh (Cebele)
- First job as worded
- Telgraf
- Age at first work (workbook field)
- 13
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 400
- First-job salary of the original workbook (kuruş a month)
- 400
Notes from the record
- Merit and competence grade (recorded code)
- 1
Named in scholarly works#
No link between a work and an official has been accepted. Each entry was found by fixed rules on the name and the recorded fields, and says what it rests on.
Sicill-i ahvâl defterlerine göre Harputlu devlet adamları (ENES MUTLUAY, 2018). Name as printed: Mehmed Zülfikar Efendi. PDF pages 104, 105 and 106.
Probable link: same name, birthplace and register and second number of the archive reference
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 4 officials with entries in Jableh (Cebele) in the same years, Mehmed Zülfikar Efendi had the 2nd highest salary.
- Muhittin Sırrı Bey6 shared years; highest salary 675 kuruş
- Abdüllatif Lütfü Efendi2 shared years; highest salary 500 kuruş
- Mustafa Bahri Efendi1 shared year; highest salary 1,750 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 335 officials with the title Posta Memuru in the same years, Mehmed Zülfikar Efendi had the 13th highest salary.
- Ruantuvan Efendi16 shared years; highest salary 750 kuruş
- Ali Rıza Efendi16 shared years; highest salary 600 kuruş
- Abdullah Fikri Efendi15 shared years; highest salary 600 kuruş
- Mehmet Eşref Efendi14 shared years; highest salary 540 kuruş
- Hüseyin Hüsnü Efendi14 shared years; highest salary 400 kuruş
Same school
Of the 3,206 officials with Rüşdiye Mektebi among their schools, 3,200 have a recorded salary; Mehmed Zülfikar Efendi had the 289th 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 27 officials born in Harput, 26 have a recorded salary; Mehmed Zülfikar Efendi had the 8th highest salary of them.
- İsmail Hakkı Efendiborn 1873/74 (AH 1290); highest salary 350 kuruş
- Yusuf Efendiborn 1866/67 (AH 1283); highest salary 600 kuruş
- Unnamed official (0067_0244; sayfa no:485)born 1866/67 (AH 1283); highest salary 500 kuruş
- Ali Rıza Efendiborn 1875/76 (AH 1292); highest salary 300 kuruş
- Ali Galip Efendiborn 1876/77 (AH 1293); highest salary 2,500 kuruş
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 88 officials whose first annual entry is for 1882/83 (AH 1300), Mehmed Zülfikar Efendi had the 16th highest salary.
- Salih Sabri Efendifirst entry in Yakube; highest salary 400 kuruş
- Mahmut Efendifirst entry in Beyoğlu; highest salary 550 kuruş
- Osman Efendifirst entry in Birecik; highest salary 500 kuruş
- Hıristo Efendifirst entry in Thessaloniki (Selanik); highest salary 540 kuruş
- Mehmet Zülfü Efendifirst entry in Erzurum; highest salary 600 kuruş
Full record
Annual entries (26)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1882/83AH 1300 | Memur | Jableh (Cebele) | 400 | Other | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 146-137-269 |
| 1883/84AH 1301 | Memur | Jableh (Cebele) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 146-137-269 |
| 1884/85AH 1302 | İstifa | Jableh (Cebele) | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 146-137-269 | |
| 1885/86AH 1303 | Jableh (Cebele) | Other | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 146-137-269 | ||
| 1886/87AH 1304 | Jableh (Cebele) | Other | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 146-137-269 | ||
| 1887/88AH 1305 | Jableh (Cebele) | Other | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 146-137-269 | ||
| 1888/89AH 1306 | Duyunu Umumiye Memuru | Mersin | 350 | Public Debt Administration (Düyun-ı Umumiye) | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 146-137-269 |
| 1889/90AH 1307 | Adana | Other | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 146-137-269 | ||
| 1890/91AH 1308 | Posta Memuru | Deir ez-Zor (Deyrizor) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 146-137-269 |
| 1891/92AH 1309 | Posta Memuru | Deir ez-Zor (Deyrizor) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 146-137-269 |
| 1892/93AH 1310 | Posta Memuru | Deir ez-Zor (Deyrizor) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 146-137-269 |
| 1893/94AH 1311 | Posta Memuru | Deir ez-Zor (Deyrizor) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 146-137-269 |
| 1894/95AH 1312 | Posta Memuru | Deir ez-Zor (Deyrizor) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 146-137-269 |
| 1895/96AH 1313 | Posta Memuru | Deir ez-Zor (Deyrizor) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 146-137-269 |
| 1896/97AH 1314 | Posta Memuru | Deir ez-Zor (Deyrizor) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 146-137-269 |
| 1897/98AH 1315 | Posta Memuru | Şanlıurfa (Urfa) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 146-137-269 |
| 1898/99AH 1316 | Posta Memuru | Şanlıurfa (Urfa) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 146-137-269 |
| 1899/1900AH 1317 | Posta Memuru | Şanlıurfa (Urfa) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 146-137-269 |
| 1900/01AH 1318 | Posta Memuru | Sakkul acz | 1,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 146-137-269 |
| 1901/02AH 1319 | Posta Memuru | Sakkul acz | 1,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 146-137-269 |
| 1902/03AH 1320 | Posta Memuru | Sakkul acz | 1,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 146-137-269 |
| 1903/04AH 1321 | Posta Memuru | Sakkul acz | 1,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 146-137-269 |
| 1904/05AH 1322 | Posta Memuru | Sakkul acz | 1,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 146-137-269 |
| 1905/06AH 1323 | Posta Memuru | Sakkul acz | 1,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 146-137-269 |
| 1906/07AH 1324 | 2. Müdür | Bitlis | 900 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 146-137-269 |
| 1907/08AH 1325 | Azil | Bitlis | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 146-137-269 |
What the sources named in this table are
- Cross-ministry personnel workbook
- A personnel workbook with the annual entries in institutions other than the Post and Telegraph (justice, land registry, customs, police and others), with the same annual fields as the personnel workbook.
- 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 (25)
| Field | Recorded value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Name | Mehmed Zülfikar Efendi | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Linked personnel workbook |
| Birth year (AH) | 1287 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birthplace | harput | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birthplace: district (kaza) | Harput | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birthplace: sancak | Elazig | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birthplace: province (vilayet) | Elazig | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Province of birth | elazig | 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; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Religion | Musluman | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Nationality or community | Turkish | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Schooling | ||
| School | Rusdiye Mektebi | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Place of the school | Halep | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Years of schooling | 7 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Years of apprenticeship (mülazemet) | 0 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work | ||
| First work: year (AH) | 1300 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Linked personnel workbook |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1883 | Recovered annual personnel extract |
| First work: place | Cebele | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work: district (kaza) | Cebele | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work: sancak | Lazkiye | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work: province (vilayet) | Beyrut | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First job as worded | Telgraf | Linked personnel workbook; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Age at first work (workbook field) | 13 | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First salary field (kuruş a month) | 400 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First-job salary of the original workbook (kuruş a month) | 400 | Linked personnel workbook; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Other recorded values | ||
| Merit and competence grade (recorded code) | 1 | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
What the sources named in this table are
- Cross-ministry personnel workbook
- A personnel workbook with the annual entries in institutions other than the Post and Telegraph (justice, land registry, customs, police and others), with the same annual fields as the personnel workbook.
- 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.
- Linked personnel workbook
- The original personnel workbook, from which selected fields on background and first work are taken.
- Origin of the record: Post and Telegraph personnel records.
- 17 annual entries of 26 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
- Mehmed Zülfikar Efendi
- Postal official (Posta Memuru)
- Deir ez-Zor (Deyrizor)
- Harput
- 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)