Official
Mehmet Ali Bey
Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Hakkâri in 1875/76 (AH 1292). On record 1896 to 1913, 17 annual entries.
Archive reference 89_238; 473
Life#
Born in Hakkâri in 1875/76 (AH 1292), Mehmet Ali Bey came from the Muslim (Müslüman) community; the father was a governor of a sub-province (mutasarrıf). At about 20, in 1895/96, Mehmet Ali began work in the Mektubi Kalemi in Istanbul, with one unpaid year as a mülazım (apprentice) before a first salary of 500 kuruş. The annual lists begin in 1896/97, with Mehmet Ali in the accounts office (Muhasebe Kalemi) in Istanbul, where the entries run to 1901/02. Mehmet Ali then moved to Beyoğlu in 1902/03, then Aleppo (Halep) from 1904 to 1909. The last posts were in Baghdad (Bağdat) from 1909 to 1912 and Üsküdar in 1912/13, with a rise to PT Umum Ecnebiye Muduru in 1909/10.
Pay rose from 500 kuruş a month in 1896/97 to a peak of 4,000 in 1912/13, as Belediye Muduru in Üsküdar, when 87 per cent of paid officials earned less. Over 17 years the salaries add up to 337,200 kuruş, 3.1 times what an official on the median salary earned, a level reached by fewer than 5 per cent of the 3,805 officials paid for five years or more. The final annual entry is for 1912/13. The honours of Mehmet Ali were a rank (rütbe) and the Mecidi order.
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 1875/76 (AH 1292)
First work 1895/96 (AH 1313); 1896 to 1902 (AH 1314 to 1319)
First work as Mektubi Kalemi
Muhasebe Kalemi 1896 to 1900 (AH 1314 to 1317); PT Nezaret Muhasebeciligi Muavini 1900 to 1902 (AH 1318 to 1319)
500 to 1,900 kuruş a month; entries in 6 years
1904 to 1909 (AH 1322 to 1326)
No annual entry for 1903/04 (AH 1321) before it.
Maiyet Memuru 1904 to 1908 (AH 1322 to 1325); Mektubi Muavini 1908/09 (AH 1326)
800 kuruş a month; entries in 5 years
1909 to 1912 (AH 1327 to 1330)
PT Umum Ecnebiye Muduru 1909/10 (AH 1327); Belediye Riyaseti 1910 to 1912 (AH 1328 to 1330)
3,000 kuruş a month; entries in 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1896/97 | 500 | 500 | 245 | 49% |
| 1897/98 | 500 | 500 | 275 | 49% |
| 1898/99 | 500 | 500 | 262.5 | 48% |
| 1899/1900 | 900 | 500 | 300 | 85% |
| 1900/01 | 1,900 | 500 | 96% | |
| 1901/02 | 1,900 | 500 | 96% | |
| 1902/03 | 1,900 | 500 | 96% | |
| 1904/05 | 800 | 450 | 80% | |
| 1905/06 | 800 | 475 | 78% | |
| 1906/07 | 800 | 450 | 78% | |
| 1907/08 | 800 | 300 | 79% | |
| 1908/09 | 800 | 350 | 74% | |
| 1909/10 | 3,000 | 462.5 | 94% | |
| 1910/11 | 3,000 | 500 | 92% | |
| 1911 | 3,000 | 500 | 91% | |
| 1911/12 | 3,000 | 900 | 79% | |
| 1912/13 | 4,000 | 1,300 | 87% |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1895/96AH 1313 | Mektubi Kalemifirst work | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 500first-salary field |
| 1896 to 1900AH 1314 to 1317 | Muhasebe Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 500 to 900 |
| 1900 to 1902AH 1318 to 1319 | PT Nezaret Muhasebeciligi Muavini | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,900 |
| 1902/03AH 1320 | Tahrirat Kalemi Mudur Muavini | Beyoğlu | 1,900 |
| No annual entry: 1903/04 (AH 1321) | |||
| 1904 to 1908AH 1322 to 1325 | Maiyet Memuru | Aleppo (Halep) | 800 |
| 1908/09AH 1326 | Mektubi Muavini | Aleppo (Halep) | 800 |
| 1909/10AH 1327 | PT Umum Ecnebiye Muduru | Baghdad (Bağdat) | 3,000 |
| 1910 to 1912AH 1328 to 1330 | Belediye Riyaseti | Baghdad (Bağdat) | 3,000 |
| 1912/13AH 1331 | Belediye Muduru | Üsküdar | 4,000 |
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1875/76 (AH 1292)
- Birthplace
- Hakkâri
- Community
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Nationality as recorded
- Turkish
- Father's occupation
- Mutasarrif
- By-name
- Not: PT Naziri : 1919
Education
- Higher or professional
- Mekteb-i Sultani (12 years)Imperial School (Galatasaray); place of the school as worded: istanbul
- Unpaid years (mülazemet)
- 1 year
- Preparation route (classification of the paper)
- Other High
- 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
- 1895/96 (AH 1313)
- Place
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- First job as worded
- Mektubi Kalemi
- Age at first work (workbook field)
- 21
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 500
- First-job salary of the original workbook (kuruş a month)
- 500
Honours and ranks
- Rank (recorded code)
- 2
- Mecidi order (recorded code)
- 4
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 829 officials with entries in Istanbul in the same years, Mehmet Ali Bey had the 19th highest salary.
- Hüseyin Hasip Efendi6 shared years; highest salary 20,000 kuruş
- Salahattin Bey6 shared years; highest salary 7,800 kuruş
- Suleyman Resat Bey6 shared years; highest salary 7,000 kuruş
- Mehmet Hayri Bey6 shared years; highest salary 5,500 kuruş
- Fahri Efendi6 shared years; highest salary 5,000 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 85 officials with the title Muhasebe Kalemi in the same years, Mehmet Ali Bey had the highest salary.
- Osman Kamil Efendi4 shared years; highest salary 2,000 kuruş
- Hüseyin Rıza Efendi4 shared years; highest salary 1,500 kuruş
- Mehmet Emin Efendi4 shared years; highest salary 1,500 kuruş
- Refet Efendi4 shared years; highest salary 1,480 kuruş
- Mehmet Kemal Efendi4 shared years; highest salary 1,300 kuruş
Same school
Of the 53 officials with Mekteb-i Sultani among their schools, Mehmet Ali Bey had the 3rd highest salary.
- Davut Vehbi Efendiborn 1875/76 (AH 1292); highest salary 900 kuruş
- Mehmet Raif Efendiborn 1874/75 (AH 1291); highest salary 2,000 kuruş
- Mehmet Rauf Efendiborn 1874/75 (AH 1291); highest salary 700 kuruş
- Mehmet Rauf Efendiborn 1874/75 (AH 1291); highest salary 400 kuruş
- Nuri Efendiborn 1874/75 (AH 1291); highest salary 450 kuruş
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 164 officials whose first annual entry is for 1896/97 (AH 1314), 163 have a recorded salary; Mehmet Ali Bey had the highest salary of them.
- Ali Nail Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 250 kuruş
- Mehmet Münir Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 200 kuruş
- Mişon Kemal Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 75 kuruş
- Mustafa Kemal Beyfirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 1,050 kuruş
- Osman Cemal Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 400 kuruş
Full record
Annual entries (17)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1896/97AH 1314 | Muhasebe Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 89_238; 473 |
| 1897/98AH 1315 | Muhasebe Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 89_238; 473 |
| 1898/99AH 1316 | Muhasebe Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 89_238; 473 |
| 1899/1900AH 1317 | Muhasebe Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 900 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 89_238; 473 |
| 1900/01AH 1318 | PT Nezaret Muhasebeciligi Muavini | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,900 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 89_238; 473 |
| 1901/02AH 1319 | PT Nezaret Muhasebeciligi Muavini | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,900 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 89_238; 473 |
| 1902/03AH 1320 | Tahrirat Kalemi Mudur Muavini | Beyoğlu | 1,900 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 89_238; 473 |
| 1904/05AH 1322 | Maiyet Memuru | Aleppo (Halep) | 800 | Other | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 89_238; 473 |
| 1905/06AH 1323 | Maiyet Memuru | Aleppo (Halep) | 800 | Other | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 89_238; 473 |
| 1906/07AH 1324 | Maiyet Memuru | Aleppo (Halep) | 800 | Other | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 89_238; 473 |
| 1907/08AH 1325 | Maiyet Memuru | Aleppo (Halep) | 800 | Other | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 89_238; 473 |
| 1908/09AH 1326 | Mektubi Muavini | Aleppo (Halep) | 800 | Other | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 89_238; 473 |
| 1909/10AH 1327 | PT Umum Ecnebiye Muduru | Baghdad (Bağdat) | 3,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 89_238; 473 |
| 1910/11AH 1328 | Belediye Riyaseti | Baghdad (Bağdat) | 3,000 | Interior (Dahiliye) | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 89_238; 473 |
| 1911AH 1329 | Belediye Riyaseti | Baghdad (Bağdat) | 3,000 | Interior (Dahiliye) | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 89_238; 473 |
| 1911/12AH 1330 | Belediye Riyaseti | Baghdad (Bağdat) | 3,000 | Interior (Dahiliye) | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 89_238; 473 |
| 1912/13AH 1331 | Belediye Muduru | Üsküdar | 4,000 | Interior (Dahiliye) | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 89_238; 473 |
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 (28)
| Field | Recorded value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Name | Mehmet Ali Bey | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Linked personnel workbook |
| By-name | Not: PT Naziri : 1919 | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birth year (AH) | 1292 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birthplace | hakkari | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birthplace: district (kaza) | Hakkari | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birthplace: sancak | Hakkari | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birthplace: province (vilayet) | Van | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Province of birth | van | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Father's occupation | Mutasarrif | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Religion | musluman | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Nationality or community | Turkish | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Schooling | ||
| School | Mektebi Sultani | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Place of the school | istanbul | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Years of schooling | 12 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Years of apprenticeship (mülazemet) | 1 used on this page | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Years of apprenticeship (mülazemet) | 0 other value | Recovered annual personnel extract |
| First work | ||
| First work: year (AH) | 1313 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Linked personnel workbook |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1895 | Recovered annual personnel extract |
| First work: place | istanbul | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work: district (kaza) | istanbul | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work: sancak | istanbul | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work: province (vilayet) | istanbul | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First job as worded | Mektubi Kalemi | Linked personnel workbook; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Age at first work (workbook field) | 21 | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First salary field (kuruş a month) | 500 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First-job salary of the original workbook (kuruş a month) | 500 | Linked personnel workbook; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Honours | ||
| Rank (recorded code) | 2 | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Mecidi order (recorded code) | 4 | 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.
- The sources give more than one value for a marked field. Every value is listed.
- Origin of the record: Post and Telegraph personnel records.
- 7 annual entries of 17 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 Ali Bey
- Accounts office (Muhasebe Kalemi)
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- Hakkâri
- Imperial School (Mekteb-i Sultani)
- 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)