Skip to content
Ottoman BureaucracyPeople, places and careers in Ottoman public service

Official

Mehmet İhsan Efendi

Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Istanbul (Dersaadet) in 1864/65 (AH 1281). On record 1893 to 1899, 5 annual entries.

Life

Mehmet İhsan Efendi was born in Istanbul in 1864/65 (AH 1281), into the Muslim (Müslüman) community. Schooling took seven years, at a middle school (Rüşdiye Mektebi).

At about 21, in 1885/86, Mehmet İhsan began work in Bitola (Manastır), with eight unpaid years as a mülazım (apprentice) before a first salary of 750 kuruş. Fewer than 4 per cent of the 5,142 officials with a known apprenticeship worked unpaid for eight years or longer. The first annual entry, for 1893/94, places Mehmet İhsan in Al Hudaydah (Hudeyde) as a communications official (Muhabere Memuru). The last posts were in Ioannina in 1895/96 and Yemen in 1897/98 and Beirut (Beyrut) in 1898/99. The farthest post, Al Hudaydah, lay about 3,200 km from Istanbul, and fewer than 2 per cent of the 5,162 officials with a known birthplace and place of service served as far from the birthplace.

The salary never rose above the first in the lists, 750 kuruş a month in 1893/94, as Muhabere Memuru in Al Hudaydah, when 76 per cent of paid officials earned less. The last annual entry is for 1898/99.

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.

All 6 stops
birthplacefirst workplace of annual entriesmove, with the year of the first entry there
1885/861893/941895/961897/981898/99123456IstanbulBitolaAl Hudaydah, YemenIoanninaBeirut
  1. Istanbul (Dersaadet)

    Born 1864/65 (AH 1281)

  2. Bitola (Manastır)

    First work 1885/86 (AH 1303)

  3. Al Hudaydah (Hudeyde)

    1893 to 1895 (AH 1311 to 1312)

    Muhabere Memuru

    750 kuruş a month; entries in 2 years

  4. Ioannina (Yanya)

    1895/96 (AH 1313)

    Muhabere Memuru

    400 kuruş a month; entries in 1 year

  5. Yemen

    1897/98 (AH 1315)

    No annual entry for 1896/97 (AH 1314) before it.

    Muhabere Memuru

    675 kuruş a month; entries in 1 year

  6. Beirut (Beyrut)

    1898/99 (AH 1316)

    Muhabere Memuru

    400 kuruş a month; entries in 1 year

Career and salary

All years
Monthly salary by year, kuruşsalary of the yearyears with one job titleno annual entry
no entry02004006008001893/94AH 13111894/95AH 13121895/96AH 13131896/97AH 13141897/98AH 13151898/99AH 1316750 kuruşMuhabere Memuru
Salary against the medians of the same year
2005001,0001893/94AH 13111894/95AH 13121895/96AH 13131896/97AH 13141897/98AH 13151898/99AH 1316This officialMedian, all officialsMedian, same titleMedian, same province

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
Salary of Mehmet İhsan Efendi against the medians of the same year, kuruş a month
YearSalaryMedian, all officialsMedian, same titleMedian, same provincePaid less
1893/9475050040075076%
1894/9575050040075076%
1895/9640050040060030%
1897/9867550040085577%
1898/9940050040050031%

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 İhsan Efendi, one row per stage
YearsTitlePlaceSalary (kuruş a month)
1885/86AH 1303First workBitola (Manastır)750first-salary field
1893 to 1895AH 1311 to 1312Muhabere Memuru
2 entries
YearSalary
1893/94750
1894/95750
Al Hudaydah (Hudeyde)750
1895/96AH 1313Muhabere MemuruIoannina (Yanya)400
No annual entry: 1896/97 (AH 1314)
1897/98AH 1315Muhabere MemuruYemen675
1898/99AH 1316Muhabere MemuruBeirut (Beyrut)400

Record

Personal

Born
1864/65 (AH 1281)
Community
Muslim (Müslüman)
Nationality as recorded
Turkish

Education

Rüşdiye
Rüşdiye Mektebi (7 years)rüşdiye school (middle school)
Unpaid years (mülazemet)
8 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
1885/86 (AH 1303)
First salary field (kuruş a month)
750

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 5 officials who held Muhabere Memuru in Al Hudaydah (Hudeyde) in the same years, Mehmet İhsan Efendi had the 3rd highest salary.

Same place, same years

Of the 7 officials with entries in Al Hudaydah (Hudeyde) in the same years, Mehmet İhsan Efendi had the 5th highest salary.

All 35 officials with entries in Al Hudaydah (Hudeyde)

Same job title, same years

Of the 1,303 officials with the title Muhabere Memuru in the same years, Mehmet İhsan Efendi had the 248th highest salary.

All 3,162 officials with the title Muhabere Memuru

Same school

Of the 3,206 officials with Rüşdiye Mektebi among their schools, 3,200 have a recorded salary; Mehmet İhsan Efendi had the 634th highest salary of them.

All 3,206 officials with Rüşdiye Mektebi

Same birthplace

Of the 1,999 officials born in Istanbul, 1,997 have a recorded salary; Mehmet İhsan Efendi had the 625th highest salary of them.

The page of Istanbul, with the 1,999 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 İhsan Efendi had the 35th highest salary.

Full record

Annual entries (5)

Annual entries of Mehmet İhsan Efendi
YearTitlePlaceKuruş a monthInstitutionSourceArchive reference
1893/94AH 1311Muhabere MemuruAl Hudaydah (Hudeyde)750Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)Recovered annual personnel extract0065_0152; 301
1894/95AH 1312Muhabere MemuruAl Hudaydah (Hudeyde)750Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)Recovered annual personnel extract0065_0152; 301
1895/96AH 1313Muhabere MemuruIoannina (Yanya)400Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)Recovered annual personnel extract0065_0152; 301
1897/98AH 1315Muhabere MemuruYemen675Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)Recovered annual personnel extract0065_0152; 301
1898/99AH 1316Muhabere MemuruBeirut (Beyrut)400Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)Recovered annual personnel extract0065_0152; 301
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 (13)

Recorded values of Mehmet İhsan Efendi with their sources
FieldRecorded valueSource
Identity
NameMehmet İhsan EfendiPersonnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
Birth year (AH)1281Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
BirthplacedersaadetRecovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
Province of birthdersaadetRecovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
ReligionMuslumanRecovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
Nationality or communityTurkishRecovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
Schooling
SchoolRusdiye MektebiRecovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
Years of schooling7Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
Years of apprenticeship (mülazemet)8Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
First work
First work: year (AH)1303Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
First work: Gregorian year as stored1886Recovered annual personnel extract
First work: placeManastirRecovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
First salary field (kuruş a month)750Recovered 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.
  • 5 annual entries of 5 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