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Ottoman BureaucracyPeople, places and careers in Ottoman public service

Official

Mehmet Zeki Efendi

Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Kastellorizo (Meis) in 1866/67 (AH 1283). On record 1894 to 1897, 3 annual entries.

Archive reference 109_33; 63

Compare Mehmet Zeki Efendi with other officials

Life

Born in Kastellorizo (Meis) in 1866/67 (AH 1283), Mehmet Zeki Efendi came from the Muslim (Müslüman) community; the father was a tradesman (esnaf). Mehmet Zeki had four years of schooling, at a school for young children (Sıbyan Mektebi), and wrote Greek (Rum) as well as Turkish.

Work began in the postal service (Posta) in Kastellorizo in 1894/95, at about 28, paid from the start, on 120 kuruş a month. Every annual entry from 1894/95 to 1896/97 places Mehmet Zeki in Kastellorizo, the birthplace, first as a postal official (Posta Memuru), from 1896/97 as Duyunu Umumiye Memuru.

The salary went from 120 kuruş a month in 1894/95 to 200 in 1896/97, the peak, as Duyunu Umumiye Memuru in Kastellorizo, when 8 per cent of paid officials earned less. In all, three years of salary come to 5,280 kuruş, 29 per cent of what an official on the median salary earned in those years. The final annual entry is for 1896/97.

Career and salary

Monthly salary by year, kuruşsalary of the yearentry of another institutionyears with one job titleno annual entry
0501001502001894/95AH 13121895/96AH 13131896/97AH 1314200 kuruşPosta MemuruDuyunu Umumiye Memuru
Salary against the medians of the same year
1002005001894/95AH 13121895/96AH 13131896/97AH 1314This officialMedian, all officialsMedian, same title

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
Salary of Mehmet Zeki Efendi against the medians of the same year, kuruş a month
YearSalaryMedian, all officialsMedian, same titlePaid less
1894/951205003805%
1895/96120500352.55%
1896/972005008%

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.

Career of Mehmet Zeki Efendi, one row per stage
YearsTitlePlaceSalary (kuruş a month)
1894/95AH 1312Postafirst workKastellorizo (Meis)120first-salary field
1894 to 1896AH 1312 to 1313Posta Memuru
2 entries
YearSalary
1894/95120
1895/96120
Kastellorizo (Meis)120
1896/97AH 1314Duyunu Umumiye Memuru
Public Debt Administration (Düyun-ı Umumiye)
Kastellorizo (Meis)200

Record

Personal

Born
1866/67 (AH 1283)
Community
Muslim (Müslüman)
Nationality as recorded
Turkish
Father's occupation
Esnaf

Education

Primary
Sıbyan Mektebi (4 years)school for young children (primary school); place of the school as worded: Rodos
Unpaid years (mülazemet)
0 years
Preparation route (classification of the paper)
Low
Qualification (diploma, certificate, training or nişan)
NoShown as in the flag of the paper. The qualification column of the recovered extract gives yes.

The years count all schooling up to that school, as the record gives them.

Languages

Greek (Rum)
Kitabetwriting. 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
1894/95 (AH 1312)
First job as worded
Posta
Age at first work (workbook field)
29
First salary field (kuruş a month)
120
First-job salary of the original workbook (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 job title, same years

Of the 98 officials with the title Posta Memuru in the same years, Mehmet Zeki Efendi had the 97th highest salary.

All 467 officials with the title Posta Memuru

Same school

Of the 746 officials with Sıbyan Mektebi among their schools, 745 have a recorded salary; Mehmet Zeki Efendi had the 722nd highest salary of them.

All 746 officials with Sıbyan Mektebi

Same birthplace

Of the 2 officials born in Kastellorizo (Meis), Mehmet Zeki Efendi had the lowest salary.

The page of Kastellorizo (Meis), with the 2 officials born there

First annual entry in the same year

Of the 173 officials whose first annual entry is for 1894/95 (AH 1312), Mehmet Zeki Efendi had the 161st highest salary.

Full record

Annual entries (3)

Annual entries of Mehmet Zeki Efendi
YearTitlePlaceKuruş a monthInstitutionSourceArchive reference
1894/95AH 1312Posta MemuruKastellorizo (Meis)120Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)Recovered annual personnel extract109_33; 63
1895/96AH 1313Posta MemuruKastellorizo (Meis)120Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)Recovered annual personnel extract109_33; 63
1896/97AH 1314Duyunu Umumiye MemuruKastellorizo (Meis)200Public Debt Administration (Düyun-ı Umumiye)Cross-ministry personnel workbook109_33; 63
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 (21)

Recorded values of Mehmet Zeki Efendi with their sources
FieldRecorded valueSource
Identity
NameMehmet Zeki EfendiPersonnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Linked personnel workbook
Birth year (AH)1283Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook
BirthplacemeyisRecovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook
Province of birthcezairi bahri sefidRecovered annual personnel extract
Father's occupationesnafRecovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook
ReligionMuslumanRecovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook
Nationality or communityTurkishRecovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook
Schooling
SchoolSibyan MektebiRecovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook
Place of the schoolRodosCross-ministry personnel workbook
Years of schooling4Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook
Years of apprenticeship (mülazemet)0Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook
First work
First work: year (AH)1312Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Linked personnel workbook
First work: Gregorian year as stored1894Recovered annual personnel extract
First work: placeMeyisRecovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook
First work: district (kaza)MeyisCross-ministry personnel workbook
First work: sancakCezairi bahri sefidCross-ministry personnel workbook
First work: province (vilayet)Cezairi bahri sefidCross-ministry personnel workbook
First job as wordedPostaLinked personnel workbook; Cross-ministry personnel workbook
Age at first work (workbook field)29Cross-ministry personnel workbook
First salary field (kuruş a month)120Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
First-job salary of the original workbook (kuruş a month)120Linked personnel workbook; 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.
  • 2 annual entries of 3 belong to the saved estimation sample of the paper.

How to read this record: calendar years, years without an annual entry, salaries and sources.

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