Official
Mehmet Mazhar Efendi
Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Istanbul (Dersaadet) in 1870/71 (AH 1287). On record 1888 to 1911, 23 annual entries.
Archive reference 0034_0204; 405
Life#
Mehmet Mazhar Efendi was born in Istanbul in 1870/71 (AH 1287) into the Muslim (Müslüman) community; the father was a religious scholar (ulema). Schooling took seven years, at a middle school (Rüşdiye Mektebi).
At about 17, in 1887/88, Mehmet Mazhar began work in Istanbul, with one unpaid year as a mülazım (apprentice) before a first salary of 120 kuruş. The first annual entry, for 1888/89, places Mehmet Mazhar in Istanbul, the birthplace, as an official (Memur), where the entries run to 1900/01, with a rise to travelling postal official (Seyyar Memur) in 1893/94. Next came Thessaloniki (Selanik) from 1901 to 1907. The last posts were in Istanbul again from 1907 to 1911.
Pay rose from 120 kuruş a month in 1888/89 to a peak of 750 in 1893/94, as Seyyar Memur in Istanbul, when 76 per cent of paid officials earned less. In all, 23 years of salary come to 124,260 kuruş, about what an official on the median salary earned in those years. The final annual entry is for 1910/11.
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 1887/88 (AH 1305); 1888 to 1901 (AH 1306 to 1318)
Memur 1888 to 1893 (AH 1306 to 1310); Seyyar Memur 1893 to 1901 (AH 1311 to 1318)
120 to 750 kuruş a month; entries in 13 years
1901 to 1907 (AH 1319 to 1324)
500 kuruş a month; entries in 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1888/89 | 120 | 500 | 375 | 500 | 1% |
| 1889/90 | 120 | 500 | 300 | 500 | 3% |
| 1890/91 | 120 | 500 | 285 | 500 | 4% |
| 1891/92 | 120 | 500 | 200 | 500 | 5% |
| 1892/93 | 150 | 500 | 200 | 500 | 7% |
| 1893/94 | 750 | 500 | 600 | 480 | 76% |
| 1894/95 | 750 | 500 | 600 | 450 | 76% |
| 1895/96 | 750 | 500 | 675 | 440 | 76% |
| 1896/97 | 675 | 500 | 575 | 425 | 77% |
| 1897/98 | 675 | 500 | 600 | 425 | 77% |
| 1898/99 | 675 | 500 | 575 | 440 | 76% |
| 1899/1900 | 700 | 500 | 540 | 450 | 77% |
| 1900/01 | 700 | 500 | 600 | 450 | 76% |
| 1901/02 | 500 | 500 | 600 | 500 | 49% |
| 1902/03 | 500 | 500 | 600 | 450 | 49% |
| 1903/04 | 500 | 475 | 675 | 400 | 51% |
| 1904/05 | 500 | 450 | 600 | 400 | 52% |
| 1905/06 | 500 | 475 | 540 | 400 | 50% |
| 1906/07 | 500 | 450 | 500 | 400 | 51% |
| 1907/08 | 200 | 300 | 300 | 18% | |
| 1908/09 | 250 | 350 | 400 | 26% | |
| 1909/10 | 300 | 462.5 | 500 | 500 | 15% |
| 1910/11 | 300 | 500 | 600 | 14% |
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 | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 120first-salary field |
| 1888 to 1893AH 1306 to 1310 | Memur | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 120 to 150 |
| 1893 to 1901AH 1311 to 1318 | Seyyar Memur | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 750 to 700 |
| 1901 to 1907AH 1319 to 1324 | Seyyar Memur | Thessaloniki (Selanik) | 500 |
| 1907 to 1911AH 1325 to 1328 | Memur | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 200 to 300 |
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1870/71 (AH 1287)
- Birthplace
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- Community
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Nationality as recorded
- Turkish
- Father's occupation
- ulema
Education
- Rüşdiye
- Rüşdiye Mektebi (7 years)rüşdiye school (middle school)
- Unpaid years (mülazemet)
- 1 year
- 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
- 1887/88 (AH 1305)
- Place
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 120
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 36 officials who held Memur in Istanbul in the same years, Mehmet Mazhar Efendi had the 10th highest salary.
- Mehmet Ali Bey5 shared years; highest salary 2,200 kuruş
- Ohannes Papasyan Efendi5 shared years; highest salary 2,000 kuruş
- Hasan Sıtkı Efendi5 shared years; highest salary 800 kuruş
- İbrahim Ethem Efendi5 shared years; highest salary 800 kuruş
- Bagdik Maksut Efendi5 shared years; highest salary 550 kuruş
Same place, same years
Of the 1,235 officials with entries in Istanbul in the same years, Mehmet Mazhar Efendi had the 438th highest salary.
- Melkok Efendi17 shared years; highest salary 5,000 kuruş
- Salih Tevfik Efendi17 shared years; highest salary 2,600 kuruş
- Mustafa Hilmi Efendi17 shared years; highest salary 2,500 kuruş
- Mustafa İsmet Efendi17 shared years; highest salary 2,000 kuruş
- Afif Efendi17 shared years; highest salary 800 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 201 officials with the title Seyyar Memur in the same years, Mehmet Mazhar Efendi had the 62nd highest salary.
- Mehmet İzzet Efendi14 shared years; highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- Necip Efendi14 shared years; highest salary 750 kuruş
- Süleyman Efendi13 shared years; highest salary 800 kuruş
- Mehmet Kâmil Efendi13 shared years; highest salary 630 kuruş
- Osman Nuri Efendi12 shared years; highest salary 850 kuruş
Same school
Of the 3,206 officials with Rüşdiye Mektebi among their schools, 3,200 have a recorded salary; Mehmet Mazhar Efendi had the 634th 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 1,999 officials born in Istanbul, 1,997 have a recorded salary; Mehmet Mazhar Efendi had the 625th highest salary of them.
- Agop Efendiborn 1870/71 (AH 1287); highest salary 150 kuruş
- Ahmed Talat Efendiborn 1870/71 (AH 1287); highest salary 500 kuruş
- Ahmet Avni Efendiborn 1870/71 (AH 1287); highest salary 500 kuruş
- Ahmet Avni Efendiborn 1870/71 (AH 1287); highest salary 5,000 kuruş
- Ahmet Hurşit Efendiborn 1870/71 (AH 1287); highest salary 400 kuruş
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 114 officials whose first annual entry is for 1888/89 (AH 1306), 113 have a recorded salary; Mehmet Mazhar Efendi had the 31st highest salary of them.
- Mehmet Selahattin Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 450 kuruş
- Vensan Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 150 kuruş
- Mehmet Bahattin Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- Mustafa Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 600 kuruş
- Mustafa Tevfik Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 540 kuruş
All 114 officials whose first annual entry is for 1888/89 (AH 1306)
Full record
Annual entries (23)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1888/89AH 1306 | Memur | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 120 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0204; 405 |
| 1889/90AH 1307 | Memur | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 120 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0204; 405 |
| 1890/91AH 1308 | Memur | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 120 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0204; 405 |
| 1891/92AH 1309 | Memur | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 120 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0204; 405 |
| 1892/93AH 1310 | Memur | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 150 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0204; 405 |
| 1893/94AH 1311 | Seyyar Memur | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 750 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0204; 405 |
| 1894/95AH 1312 | Seyyar Memur | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 750 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0204; 405 |
| 1895/96AH 1313 | Seyyar Memur | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 750 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0204; 405 |
| 1896/97AH 1314 | Seyyar Memur | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 675 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0204; 405 |
| 1897/98AH 1315 | Seyyar Memur | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 675 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0204; 405 |
| 1898/99AH 1316 | Seyyar Memur | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 675 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0204; 405 |
| 1899/1900AH 1317 | Seyyar Memur | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 700 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0204; 405 |
| 1900/01AH 1318 | Seyyar Memur | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 700 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0204; 405 |
| 1901/02AH 1319 | Seyyar Memur | Thessaloniki (Selanik) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0204; 405 |
| 1902/03AH 1320 | Seyyar Memur | Thessaloniki (Selanik) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0204; 405 |
| 1903/04AH 1321 | Seyyar Memur | Thessaloniki (Selanik) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0204; 405 |
| 1904/05AH 1322 | Seyyar Memur | Thessaloniki (Selanik) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0204; 405 |
| 1905/06AH 1323 | Seyyar Memur | Thessaloniki (Selanik) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0204; 405 |
| 1906/07AH 1324 | Seyyar Memur | Thessaloniki (Selanik) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0204; 405 |
| 1907/08AH 1325 | Memur | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 200 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0204; 405 |
| 1908/09AH 1326 | Memur | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 250 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0204; 405 |
| 1909/10AH 1327 | Memur | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 300 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0204; 405 |
| 1910/11AH 1328 | Memur | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 300 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0204; 405 |
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 | Mehmet Mazhar Efendi | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birth year (AH) | 1287 | 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 | ulema | 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) | 1 used on this page | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Years of apprenticeship (mülazemet) | 0 other value | Recovered 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 | istanbul | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First salary field (kuruş a month) | 120 | 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.
- The sources give more than one value for a marked field. Every value is listed.
- Origin of the record: Post and Telegraph personnel records.
- 18 annual entries of 23 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 Mazhar Efendi
- Travelling postal official (Seyyar Memur)
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- Rüşdiye school (Rüşdiye Mektebi)
- Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Official (Memur)
- 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)