Official
Mahmut Aziz Efendi
Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Istanbul (Dersaadet) in 1859/60 (AH 1276). On record 1874 to 1906, 33 annual entries.
Archive reference 8_44; 83
Life#
Born in Istanbul in 1859/60 (AH 1276) into the Muslim (Müslüman) community, Mahmut Aziz Efendi was the child of a steward (kethüda). Schooling took seven years, at a middle school (Rüşdiye Mektebi); Mahmut Aziz also attended the telegraph school.
At about 13, in 1872/73, Mahmut Aziz began work in Istanbul, with two unpaid years as a mülazım (apprentice) before a first salary of 90 kuruş. Of the 5,128 officials whose age at first work is known, fewer than 6 per cent started at 13 or younger. The annual lists begin in 1874/75, with Mahmut Aziz in the dispatch office (Sevk Kalemi) in Istanbul, the birthplace. Mahmut Aziz then moved to Samatya from 1876 to 1889. From 1889 to 1906 the annual entries place Mahmut Aziz again in Istanbul, first in the office for important affairs (Mühimme Kalemi), from 1895/96 in the office of the corresponding secretary (Mektubi Kalemi).
The salary went from 90 kuruş a month in 1874/75 to 1,500 in 1899/1900, the peak, in the Mektubi Kalemi in Istanbul, when 94 per cent of paid officials earned less. In all, 33 years of salary come to 350,820 kuruş, 1.7 times what an official on the median salary earned in those years. The final annual entry is for 1905/06.
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 1859/60 (AH 1276); First work 1872/73 (AH 1289); 1874 to 1876 (AH 1291 to 1292)
90 kuruş a month; entries in 2 years
1876 to 1889 (AH 1293 to 1306)
Sevk Kalemi 1876 to 1886 (AH 1293 to 1303); Memur 1886 to 1889 (AH 1304 to 1306)
300 to 850 kuruş a month; entries in 14 years
1889 to 1906 (AH 1307 to 1323)
Mühimme Kalemi 1889 to 1895 (AH 1307 to 1312); Mektubi Kalemi 1895 to 1906 (AH 1313 to 1323)
900 to 1,500 kuruş a month; entries in 17 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1874/75 | 90 | 535 | 400 | 1% |
| 1875/76 | 90 | 530 | 350 | 1% |
| 1876/77 | 300 | 582.5 | 375 | 9% |
| 1877/78 | 300 | 560 | 400 | 8% |
| 1878 | 400 | 600 | 400 | 17% |
| 1878/79 | 400 | 600 | 400 | 18% |
| 1879/80 | 380 | 500 | 382.5 | 22% |
| 1880/81 | 380 | 500 | 380 | 21% |
| 1881/82 | 380 | 500 | 385 | 20% |
| 1882/83 | 500 | 500 | 437.5 | 43% |
| 1883/84 | 500 | 500 | 400 | 43% |
| 1884/85 | 500 | 500 | 400 | 42% |
| 1885/86 | 500 | 500 | 437.5 | 42% |
| 1886/87 | 600 | 500 | 400 | 59% |
| 1887/88 | 600 | 500 | 300 | 58% |
| 1888/89 | 850 | 500 | 375 | 82% |
| 1889/90 | 900 | 500 | 375 | 83% |
| 1890/91 | 970 | 500 | 400 | 85% |
| 1891/92 | 1,045 | 500 | 375 | 89% |
| 1892/93 | 1,245 | 500 | 400 | 93% |
| 1893/94 | 1,245 | 500 | 400 | 93% |
| 1894/95 | 1,245 | 500 | 400 | 93% |
| 1895/96 | 1,400 | 500 | 475 | 93% |
| 1896/97 | 1,305 | 500 | 495 | 94% |
| 1897/98 | 1,305 | 500 | 450 | 94% |
| 1898/99 | 1,305 | 500 | 472.5 | 94% |
| 1899/1900 | 1,500 | 500 | 500 | 94% |
| 1900/01 | 1,500 | 500 | 475 | 94% |
| 1901/02 | 1,500 | 500 | 500 | 94% |
| 1902/03 | 1,500 | 500 | 400 | 93% |
| 1903/04 | 1,500 | 475 | 400 | 94% |
| 1904/05 | 1,500 | 450 | 400 | 94% |
| 1905/06 | 1,500 | 475 | 287.5 | 93% |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1872/73AH 1289 | First work | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 90first-salary field |
| 1874 to 1876AH 1291 to 1292 | Sevk Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 90 |
| 1876 to 1886AH 1293 to 1303 | Sevk Kalemi | Samatya | 300 to 500 |
| 1886 to 1889AH 1304 to 1306 | Memur | Samatya | 600 to 850 |
| 1889 to 1895AH 1307 to 1312 | Mühimme Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 900 to 1,245 |
| 1895 to 1906AH 1313 to 1323 | Mektubi Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,400 to 1,500 |
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1859/60 (AH 1276)
- Birthplace
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- Community
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Nationality as recorded
- Turkish
- Father's occupation
- Kethuda
Education
- Rüşdiye
- Rüşdiye Mektebi (7 years)rüşdiye school (middle school)
- Higher or professional
- Telgraf Mektebitelegraph school; recorded as a code
- Unpaid years (mülazemet)
- 2 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
- Turkish
- Kitabetwriting
The glosses are cautious historical readings of the recorded words, not modern levels of proficiency.
First work
- Year
- 1872/73 (AH 1289)
- Place
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 90
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 1,331 officials with entries in Istanbul in the same years, Mahmut Aziz Efendi had the 204th highest salary.
- Salahattin Bey19 shared years; highest salary 7,800 kuruş
- Suleyman Resat Bey19 shared years; highest salary 7,000 kuruş
- Mehmet Hayri Bey19 shared years; highest salary 5,500 kuruş
- Melkok Efendi19 shared years; highest salary 5,000 kuruş
- Tevfik Bey19 shared years; highest salary 3,500 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 38 officials with the title Sevk Kalemi in the same years, Mahmut Aziz Efendi had the 5th highest salary.
- Mehmet Reşit Efendi13 shared years; highest salary 800 kuruş
- Mehmet Şükrü Bey13 shared years; highest salary 800 kuruş
- Mehmet Cemal Efendi13 shared years; highest salary 750 kuruş
- Telbadi (?) Efendi13 shared years; highest salary 750 kuruş
- İbrahim Hakkı Efendi13 shared years; highest salary 650 kuruş
Same school
Of the 3,206 officials with Rüşdiye Mektebi among their schools, 3,200 have a recorded salary; Mahmut Aziz Efendi had the 133rd highest salary of them.
- Ahmed Hamdi Efendiborn 1859/60 (AH 1276); highest salary 600 kuruş
- Ali Rıza Efendiborn 1859/60 (AH 1276); highest salary 800 kuruş
- Ali Rıza Efendiborn 1859/60 (AH 1276); highest salary 600 kuruş
- Ali Rıza Efendiborn 1859/60 (AH 1276); highest salary 440 kuruş
- Ali Saib Beyborn 1859/60 (AH 1276); highest salary 2,000 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 1,999 officials born in Istanbul, 1,997 have a recorded salary; Mahmut Aziz Efendi had the 203rd highest salary of them.
- Ahmet Nurettin Efendiborn 1859/60 (AH 1276); highest salary 1,300 kuruş
- Ali Rıza Efendiborn 1859/60 (AH 1276); highest salary 900 kuruş
- Ali Rıza Efendiborn 1859/60 (AH 1276); highest salary 440 kuruş
- Emin Efendiborn 1859/60 (AH 1276); highest salary 750 kuruş
- Mehmet Ali Beyborn 1859/60 (AH 1276); highest salary 1,135 kuruş
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 55 officials whose first annual entry is for 1874/75 (AH 1291), Mahmut Aziz Efendi had the 5th highest salary.
- Emin Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 750 kuruş
- Ahmet Haydar Beyfirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 1,600 kuruş
- Mehmet Raşit Efendi 1277first entry in Istanbul; highest salary 725 kuruş
- Mustafa Daim Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 1,200 kuruş
- Osman Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 800 kuruş
Full record
Annual entries (33)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1874/75AH 1291 | Sevk Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 90 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_44; 83 |
| 1875/76AH 1292 | Sevk Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 90 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_44; 83 |
| 1876/77AH 1293 | Sevk Kalemi | Samatya | 300 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_44; 83 |
| 1877/78AH 1294 | Sevk Kalemi | Samatya | 300 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_44; 83 |
| 1878AH 1295 | Sevk Kalemi | Samatya | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_44; 83 |
| 1878/79AH 1296 | Sevk Kalemi | Samatya | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_44; 83 |
| 1879/80AH 1297 | Sevk Kalemi | Samatya | 380 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_44; 83 |
| 1880/81AH 1298 | Sevk Kalemi | Samatya | 380 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_44; 83 |
| 1881/82AH 1299 | Sevk Kalemi | Samatya | 380 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_44; 83 |
| 1882/83AH 1300 | Sevk Kalemi | Samatya | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_44; 83 |
| 1883/84AH 1301 | Sevk Kalemi | Samatya | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_44; 83 |
| 1884/85AH 1302 | Sevk Kalemi | Samatya | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_44; 83 |
| 1885/86AH 1303 | Sevk Kalemi | Samatya | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_44; 83 |
| 1886/87AH 1304 | Memur | Samatya | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_44; 83 |
| 1887/88AH 1305 | Memur | Samatya | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_44; 83 |
| 1888/89AH 1306 | Memur | Samatya | 850 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_44; 83 |
| 1889/90AH 1307 | Mühimme Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 900 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_44; 83 |
| 1890/91AH 1308 | Mühimme Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 970 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_44; 83 |
| 1891/92AH 1309 | Mühimme Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,045 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_44; 83 |
| 1892/93AH 1310 | Mühimme Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,245 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_44; 83 |
| 1893/94AH 1311 | Mühimme Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,245 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_44; 83 |
| 1894/95AH 1312 | Mühimme Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,245 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_44; 83 |
| 1895/96AH 1313 | Mektubi Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_44; 83 |
| 1896/97AH 1314 | Mektubi Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,305 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_44; 83 |
| 1897/98AH 1315 | Mektubi Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,305 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_44; 83 |
| 1898/99AH 1316 | Mektubi Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,305 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_44; 83 |
| 1899/1900AH 1317 | Mektubi Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_44; 83 |
| 1900/01AH 1318 | Mektubi Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_44; 83 |
| 1901/02AH 1319 | Mektubi Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_44; 83 |
| 1902/03AH 1320 | Mektubi Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_44; 83 |
| 1903/04AH 1321 | Mektubi Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_44; 83 |
| 1904/05AH 1322 | Mektubi Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_44; 83 |
| 1905/06AH 1323 | Mektubi Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 8_44; 83 |
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 (15)
| Field | Recorded value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Name | Mahmut Aziz Efendi | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birth year (AH) | 1276 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birthplace | dersaadet | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Province of birth | dersaadet | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Father's occupation | kethuda | 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) | 2 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work | ||
| First work: year (AH) | 1289 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1872 | 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) | 90 | 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.
- 33 annual entries of 33 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
- Mahmut Aziz Efendi
- Dispatch office (Sevk Kalemi)
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- Rüşdiye school (Rüşdiye Mektebi)
- Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Office of the corresponding secretary (Mektubi Kalemi)
- 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)