Official
Hacı Mehmet Arif Efendi
Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Bursa in 1874/75 (AH 1291). On record 1889 to 1906, 16 annual entries.
Archive reference 90_236; 469
Life#
Hacı Mehmet Arif Efendi was born in Bursa in 1874/75 (AH 1291), into the Muslim (Müslüman) community. Work began in Beirut (Beyrut) in 1889/90, at about 16, paid from the start, on 50 kuruş a month. The annual lists begin in 1889/90, with Mehmet Arif as a postal official (Posta Memuru) in Beirut. Mehmet Arif then moved to six places in seven years, from Al-Khums (Hums) to Pristina (Priştine), with a rise to a post in the clerkship of the chief director's office (Başmüdür Kitabeti) in 1892/93 and to communications official (Muhabere Memuru) in 1894/95, then back to Bursa, the birthplace, from 1898 to 1900. The last posts were in Medina (Medine) from 1900 to 1904 and Bilecik from 1904 to 1906. The posts lie on three continents, Africa, Asia and Europe, as for fewer than 2 per cent of the 5,200 officials with a place of service.
Pay rose from 50 kuruş a month in 1889/90 to a peak of 800 in 1900/01, as Muhabere Memuru in Medina, when 81 per cent of paid officials earned less. The last annual entry is for 1905/06. Mehmet Arif probably has an entry in "Sicill-i Ahval defterlerine göre Bursalı memurlar" by DERVİŞ ŞAFAK TOPRAK (2019) (the name, the birthplace, the archive register and second number and a place of service agree).
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 1874/75 (AH 1291)
First work 1889/90 (AH 1307); 1889 to 1891 (AH 1307 to 1308)
Posta Memuru 1889/90 (AH 1307); Muhabere Memuru 1890/91 (AH 1308)
50 kuruş a month; entries in 2 years
1894/95 (AH 1312)
No annual entry for 1893/94 (AH 1311) before it.
500 kuruş a month; entries in 1 year
1904 to 1906 (AH 1322 to 1323)
Muhabere Memuru 1904/05 (AH 1322); Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti 1905/06 (AH 1323)
400 to 550 kuruş a month; entries in 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1889/90 | 50 | 500 | 380 | 0% |
| 1890/91 | 50 | 500 | 400 | 0% |
| 1891/92 | 250 | 500 | 400 | 12% |
| 1892/93 | 400 | 500 | 600 | 29% |
| 1894/95 | 500 | 500 | 400 | 46% |
| 1895/96 | 400 | 500 | 400 | 30% |
| 1896/97 | 400 | 500 | 400 | 32% |
| 1897/98 | 400 | 500 | 400 | 32% |
| 1898/99 | 400 | 500 | 400 | 31% |
| 1899/1900 | 400 | 500 | 400 | 31% |
| 1900/01 | 800 | 500 | 400 | 81% |
| 1901/02 | 800 | 500 | 400 | 81% |
| 1902/03 | 800 | 500 | 380 | 81% |
| 1903/04 | 800 | 475 | 350 | 80% |
| 1904/05 | 400 | 450 | 350 | 38% |
| 1905/06 | 550 | 475 | 445 | 65% |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1889/90AH 1307 | First work | Beirut (Beyrut) | 50first-salary field |
| 1889/90AH 1307 | Posta Memuru | Beirut (Beyrut) | 50 |
| 1890/91AH 1308 | Muhabere Memuru | Beirut (Beyrut) | 50 |
| 1891/92AH 1309 | Muhabere Memuru | Al-Khums (Hums) | 250 |
| 1892/93AH 1310 | Başmüdür Kitabeti | Tripoli (Trablusgarp) | 400 |
| No annual entry: 1893/94 (AH 1311) | |||
| 1894/95AH 1312 | Muhabere Memuru | İnönü | 500 |
| 1895/96AH 1313 | Muhabere Memuru | Mitrovica (Mitroviça) | 400 |
| 1896/97AH 1314 | Muhabere Memuru | Bihcova | 400 |
| 1897/98AH 1315 | Muhabere Memuru | Pristina (Priştine) | 400 |
| 1898 to 1900AH 1316 to 1317 | Muhabere Memuru | Bursa | 400 |
| 1900 to 1904AH 1318 to 1321 | Muhabere Memuru | Medina (Medine) | 800 |
| 1904/05AH 1322 | Muhabere Memuru | Bilecik | 400 |
| 1905/06AH 1323 | Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti | Bilecik | 550 |
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1874/75 (AH 1291)
- Birthplace
- Bursa
- Community
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Nationality as recorded
- Turkish
Education
- Rüşdiye
- Rüşdiye Mektebi (7 years)rüşdiye school (middle school)
- Unpaid years (mülazemet)
- 0 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
- French
- Kitabetwriting
- Turkish
- Kitabetwriting
The glosses are cautious historical readings of the recorded words, not modern levels of proficiency.
First work
- Year
- 1889/90 (AH 1307)
- Place
- Beirut (Beyrut)
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 50
Named in scholarly works#
No link between a work and an official has been accepted. Each entry was found by fixed rules on the name and the recorded fields, and says what it rests on.
Sicill-i Ahval defterlerine göre Bursalı memurlar (DERVİŞ ŞAFAK TOPRAK, 2019). Name as printed: Hacı Mehmed Arif Efendi. PDF pages 127, 128 and 129.
Probable link: same name, birthplace and register and second number of the archive reference; served in the place the work covers
Possible links: 2 entries in 1 work
- Sicill-i Ahval defterlerine göre Bursalı memurlar: Mehmed Arif BeyPossible link: same name and birthplace; served in the place the work covers; several officials or entries qualify, so none is probable
- Sicill-i Ahval defterlerine göre Bursalı memurlar: Mehmed Arif EfendiPossible link: same name and birthplace; served in the place the work covers; several officials or entries qualify, so none is probable
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 8 officials with entries in Medina (Medine) in the same years, Hacı Mehmet Arif Efendi had the 5th highest salary.
- İsmail Hıfzı Efendi4 shared years; highest salary 900 kuruş
- Abdullah Fikri Efendi4 shared years; highest salary 600 kuruş
- Mustafa Faik Efendi3 shared years; highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- Hasan Sezai Efendi2 shared years; highest salary 1,500 kuruş
- Hüseyin Hüsnü Efendi2 shared years; highest salary 500 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 2,079 officials with the title Muhabere Memuru in the same years, Hacı Mehmet Arif Efendi had the 261st highest salary.
- Mehmet Hulusi Bey13 shared years; highest salary 2,600 kuruş
- Mehmet Sadullah Efendi13 shared years; highest salary 1,650 kuruş
- Ali Şevket Efendi13 shared years; highest salary 1,450 kuruş
- Nikola Yunani Efendi13 shared years; highest salary 1,350 kuruş
- Hasan Ruhi Efendi13 shared years; highest salary 1,200 kuruş
Same school
Of the 3,206 officials with Rüşdiye Mektebi among their schools, 3,200 have a recorded salary; Hacı Mehmet Arif Efendi had the 477th highest salary of them.
- Abdülgani Efendiborn 1874/75 (AH 1291); highest salary 200 kuruş
- Abdullah Halit Efendiborn 1874/75 (AH 1291); highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- Abdullah Kemal Beyborn 1874/75 (AH 1291); highest salary 100 kuruş
- Abdullah Kemal Beyborn 1874/75 (AH 1291); highest salary 800 kuruş
- Abdurrahman Tahsin Efendiborn 1874/75 (AH 1291); highest salary 500 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 38 officials born in Bursa, Hacı Mehmet Arif Efendi had the 7th highest salary.
- Yorgi Efendiborn 1873/74 (AH 1290); highest salary 515 kuruş
- Yanko Efendiborn 1875/76 (AH 1292); highest salary 300 kuruş
- Arif Hilmi Efendiborn 1872/73 (AH 1289); highest salary 400 kuruş
- Hacı İsmail Hakkı Efendiborn 1876/77 (AH 1293); highest salary 1,650 kuruş
- Mahmut Efendiborn 1871/72 (AH 1288); highest salary 300 kuruş
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 116 officials whose first annual entry is for 1889/90 (AH 1307), Hacı Mehmet Arif Efendi had the 20th highest salary.
- Ahmet Hamdi Efendifirst entry in Rize; highest salary 1,200 kuruş
- Besim Remzi Efendifirst entry in Komotini (Gümülcine); highest salary 720 kuruş
- İsmail Kemal Efendifirst entry in Malkara; highest salary 400 kuruş
- Mehmet Rasim Efendifirst entry in Afyonkarahisar (Karahisar-ı Sahib); highest salary 400 kuruş
- Unnamed official (0087_0089, sayfa no:175.)first entry in Baghdad (Bağdat); highest salary 700 kuruş
Full record
Annual entries (16)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1889/90AH 1307 | Posta Memuru | Beirut (Beyrut) | 50 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 90_236; 469 |
| 1890/91AH 1308 | Muhabere Memuru | Beirut (Beyrut) | 50 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 90_236; 469 |
| 1891/92AH 1309 | Muhabere Memuru | Al-Khums (Hums) | 250 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 90_236; 469 |
| 1892/93AH 1310 | Başmüdür Kitabeti | Tripoli (Trablusgarp) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 90_236; 469 |
| 1894/95AH 1312 | Muhabere Memuru | İnönü | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 90_236; 469 |
| 1895/96AH 1313 | Muhabere Memuru | Mitrovica (Mitroviça) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 90_236; 469 |
| 1896/97AH 1314 | Muhabere Memuru | Bihcova | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 90_236; 469 |
| 1897/98AH 1315 | Muhabere Memuru | Pristina (Priştine) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 90_236; 469 |
| 1898/99AH 1316 | Muhabere Memuru | Bursa | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 90_236; 469 |
| 1899/1900AH 1317 | Muhabere Memuru | Bursa | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 90_236; 469 |
| 1900/01AH 1318 | Muhabere Memuru | Medina (Medine) | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 90_236; 469 |
| 1901/02AH 1319 | Muhabere Memuru | Medina (Medine) | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 90_236; 469 |
| 1902/03AH 1320 | Muhabere Memuru | Medina (Medine) | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 90_236; 469 |
| 1903/04AH 1321 | Muhabere Memuru | Medina (Medine) | 800 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 90_236; 469 |
| 1904/05AH 1322 | Muhabere Memuru | Bilecik | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 90_236; 469 |
| 1905/06AH 1323 | Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti | Bilecik | 550 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 90_236; 469 |
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)
| Field | Recorded value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Name | Hacı Mehmet Arif Efendi | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birth year (AH) | 1291 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birthplace | bursa | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Province of birth | hudavendigar | 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) | 0 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work | ||
| First work: year (AH) | 1307 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1890 | Recovered annual personnel extract |
| First work: place | beyrut | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First salary field (kuruş a month) | 50 | 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.
- 16 annual entries of 16 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
- Hacı Mehmet Arif Efendi
- Communications official (Muhabere Memuru)
- Medina (Medine)
- Bursa
- Rüşdiye school (Rüşdiye Mektebi)
- Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- 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)