Official
Mehmet Şefik Efendi
Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Aleppo (Halep) in 1876/77 (AH 1293). On record 1893 to 1904, 11 annual entries.
Archive reference 70_72; 141
Life#
Mehmet Şefik Efendi was born in Aleppo (Halep) in 1876/77 (AH 1293) into the Muslim (Müslüman) community; the father was a merchant (tüccar). Schooling took seven years, at a middle school (Rüşdiye Mektebi); Mehmet Şefik also held a qualification (a diploma, certificate, training or decoration).
Work began in Idlib (İdlib) in 1887/88, at about 12, with six unpaid years as a mülazım (apprentice) before a first salary of 200 kuruş. Few began so young; fewer than 3 per cent of the 5,128 officials whose age at first work is known started at 12 or younger. Every annual entry from 1893/94 to 1903/04 places Mehmet Şefik in Aleppo, the birthplace, first as a communications official (Muhabere Memuru), from 1903/04 as Posta Kalemi Baskitabeti.
Pay rose from 200 kuruş a month in 1893/94 to a peak of 630 in 1903/04, as Posta Kalemi Baskitabeti in Aleppo, when 72 per cent of paid officials earned less. In all, 11 years of salary come to 36,960 kuruş, 56 per cent of what an official on the median salary earned in those years. The last annual entry is for 1903/04.
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 1876/77 (AH 1293)
First work 1887/88 (AH 1305)
1893 to 1904 (AH 1311 to 1321)
Muhabere Memuru 1893 to 1903 (AH 1311 to 1320); Posta Kalemi Baskitabeti 1903/04 (AH 1321)
200 to 630 kuruş a month; entries in 11 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1893/94 | 200 | 500 | 400 | 9% |
| 1894/95 | 200 | 500 | 400 | 9% |
| 1895/96 | 200 | 500 | 400 | 9% |
| 1896/97 | 200 | 500 | 400 | 8% |
| 1897/98 | 240 | 500 | 400 | 13% |
| 1898/99 | 240 | 500 | 400 | 13% |
| 1899/1900 | 240 | 500 | 400 | 12% |
| 1900/01 | 240 | 500 | 400 | 12% |
| 1901/02 | 240 | 500 | 400 | 14% |
| 1902/03 | 450 | 500 | 380 | 46% |
| 1903/04 | 630 | 475 | 72% |
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 | Idlib (İdlib) | 200first-salary field |
| 1893 to 1903AH 1311 to 1320 | Muhabere Memuru | Aleppo (Halep) | 200 to 450 |
| 1903/04AH 1321 | Posta Kalemi Baskitabeti | Aleppo (Halep) | 630 |
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1876/77 (AH 1293)
- Birthplace
- Aleppo (Halep)
- Community
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Nationality as recorded
- Turkish
- Father's occupation
- Tuccar
Education
- Rüşdiye
- Rüşdiye Mektebi (7 years)rüşdiye school (middle school)
- Unpaid years (mülazemet)
- 6 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
- 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
- Idlib (İdlib)
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 200
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 98 officials with entries in Aleppo (Halep) in the same years, Mehmet Şefik Efendi had the 51st highest salary.
- Ahmet Salih Efendi11 shared years; highest salary 900 kuruş
- İsmail Nuri Efendi10 shared years; highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- Yusuf Vasfi Efendi9 shared years; highest salary 1,500 kuruş
- Ohannes Efendi9 shared years; highest salary 750 kuruş
- ETHEM FETHİ EFENDİ9 shared years; highest salary 500 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 1,670 officials with the title Muhabere Memuru in the same years, Mehmet Şefik Efendi had the 431st highest salary.
- Mehmet Hulusi Bey10 shared years; highest salary 2,600 kuruş
- Mustafa Fazıl Bey10 shared years; highest salary 1,700 kuruş
- Mehmet Sadullah Efendi10 shared years; highest salary 1,650 kuruş
- Mehmet Asım Efendi10 shared years; highest salary 1,550 kuruş
- Mehmet Hurşit Efendi10 shared years; highest salary 1,500 kuruş
Same school
Of the 3,206 officials with Rüşdiye Mektebi among their schools, 3,200 have a recorded salary; Mehmet Şefik Efendi had the 839th highest salary of them.
- Abdullah Efendiborn 1876/77 (AH 1293); highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- Abdullah Faik Efendiborn 1876/77 (AH 1293); highest salary 250 kuruş
- Ahmet Cemil Efendiborn 1876/77 (AH 1293); highest salary 350 kuruş
- Ahmet Faik Efendiborn 1876/77 (AH 1293); highest salary 400 kuruş
- Ahmet Feyzi Efendiborn 1876/77 (AH 1293); highest salary 720 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 67 officials born in Aleppo (Halep), Mehmet Şefik Efendi had the 19th highest salary.
- Ahmet Salih Efendiborn 1876/77 (AH 1293); highest salary 900 kuruş
- Mehmet Haşim Efendiborn 1876/77 (AH 1293); highest salary 500 kuruş
- Mehmet Necip Efendiborn 1876/77 (AH 1293); highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- Mustafa Efendiborn 1876/77 (AH 1293); highest salary 500 kuruş
- Mustafa Efendiborn 1876/77 (AH 1293); highest salary 500 kuruş
The page of Aleppo (Halep), with the 67 officials born there
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 162 officials whose first annual entry is for 1893/94 (AH 1311), Mehmet Şefik Efendi had the 45th highest salary.
- Abdullah Faik Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 250 kuruş
- Hasan Rıza Efendifirst entry in Üsküdar; highest salary 600 kuruş
- Hasan Vehbi Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 160 kuruş
- Hüseyin Avni Efendifirst entry in Bursa; highest salary 300 kuruş
- Mahmut Hamdi Efendifirst entry in Serres (Siroz); highest salary 420 kuruş
Full record
Annual entries (11)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1893/94AH 1311 | Muhabere Memuru | Aleppo (Halep) | 200 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 70_72; 141 |
| 1894/95AH 1312 | Muhabere Memuru | Aleppo (Halep) | 200 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 70_72; 141 |
| 1895/96AH 1313 | Muhabere Memuru | Aleppo (Halep) | 200 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 70_72; 141 |
| 1896/97AH 1314 | Muhabere Memuru | Aleppo (Halep) | 200 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 70_72; 141 |
| 1897/98AH 1315 | Muhabere Memuru | Aleppo (Halep) | 240 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 70_72; 141 |
| 1898/99AH 1316 | Muhabere Memuru | Aleppo (Halep) | 240 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 70_72; 141 |
| 1899/1900AH 1317 | Muhabere Memuru | Aleppo (Halep) | 240 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 70_72; 141 |
| 1900/01AH 1318 | Muhabere Memuru | Aleppo (Halep) | 240 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 70_72; 141 |
| 1901/02AH 1319 | Muhabere Memuru | Aleppo (Halep) | 240 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 70_72; 141 |
| 1902/03AH 1320 | Muhabere Memuru | Aleppo (Halep) | 450 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 70_72; 141 |
| 1903/04AH 1321 | Posta Kalemi Baskitabeti | Aleppo (Halep) | 630 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 70_72; 141 |
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 Şefik Efendi | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birth year (AH) | 1293 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birthplace | halep | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Province of birth | halep | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Father's occupation | tuccar | 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) | 6 | 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 | idlib | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First salary field (kuruş a month) | 200 | 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.
- 11 annual entries of 11 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 Şefik Efendi
- Communications official (Muhabere Memuru)
- Aleppo (Halep)
- Rüşdiye school (Rüşdiye Mektebi)
- Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Posta Kalemi Baskitabeti
- 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)