Official
Balyan Efendi
Armenian Christian (Ermeni). Born in Kayseri in 1858/59 (AH 1275). On record 1877 to 1894, 17 annual entries.
Archive reference 0062_0005; 7
Life#
Balyan Efendi was born in Kayseri in 1858/59 (AH 1275), into the Armenian Christian (Ermeni) community. In all Balyan knew five languages, English, French, Greek (Rum), Italian and Turkish, all in writing; fewer than 2 per cent of the 5,211 officials knew as many.
Work began in Istanbul in 1877/78, at about 18, with half a year without pay as a mülazım (apprentice) before a first salary of 500 kuruş. The annual lists begin in 1877/78, with Balyan as an official for foreign communications (Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti) in Tarsus, where the entries run to 1879/80. Next came İskenderun and Adana from 1880 to 1885, then a return to İskenderun from 1885 to 1888. The annual lists then follow Balyan to Rhodes (Rodos) from 1888 to 1890. The last posts were in İskenderun again from 1891 to 1894.
The salary went from 500 kuruş a month in 1877/78 to 1,200 in 1887/88, the peak, as 1. Müdür in İskenderun, when 87 per cent of paid officials earned less. The peak lasted a single year; the next list gives 1,000 kuruş. The final annual entry is for 1893/94. An entry in "Sicill-i Ahvâl kayıtlarına göre Kayseri doğumlu Gayrimüslim Osmanlı devlet adamları ..." by YAĞMUR ŞAHİN (2017) probably refers to Balyan, since the name and the birthplace 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 1858/59 (AH 1275)
First work 1877/78 (AH 1294)
1877 to 1880 (AH 1294 to 1297)
Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti
475 to 500 kuruş a month; entries in 4 years
1891 to 1894 (AH 1309 to 1311)
No annual entry for 1890/91 (AH 1308) before it.
900 kuruş a month; entries in 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1877/78 | 500 | 560 | 600 | 36% |
| 1878 | 500 | 600 | 600 | 33% |
| 1878/79 | 500 | 600 | 600 | 34% |
| 1879/80 | 475 | 500 | 500 | 42% |
| 1880/81 | 760 | 500 | 800 | 74% |
| 1881/82 | 760 | 500 | 800 | 74% |
| 1882/83 | 760 | 500 | 800 | 73% |
| 1883/84 | 760 | 500 | 800 | 73% |
| 1884/85 | 760 | 500 | 800 | 73% |
| 1885/86 | 900 | 500 | 800 | 82% |
| 1886/87 | 900 | 500 | 800 | 83% |
| 1887/88 | 1,200 | 500 | 1,200 | 87% |
| 1888/89 | 1,000 | 500 | 800 | 84% |
| 1889/90 | 1,000 | 500 | 800 | 85% |
| 1891/92 | 900 | 500 | 800 | 85% |
| 1892/93 | 900 | 500 | 800 | 85% |
| 1893/94 | 900 | 500 | 800 | 86% |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1877/78AH 1294 | First work | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 500first-salary field |
| 1877 to 1880AH 1294 to 1297 | Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti | Tarsus | 500 to 475 |
| 1880 to 1882AH 1298 to 1299 | 2. Müdür | İskenderun | 760 |
| 1882 to 1885AH 1300 to 1302 | 2. Müdür | Adana | 760 |
| 1885 to 1887AH 1303 to 1304 | 2. Müdür | İskenderun | 900 |
| 1887/88AH 1305 | 1. Müdür | İskenderun | 1,200 |
| 1888 to 1890AH 1306 to 1307 | 2. Müdür | Rhodes (Rodos) | 1,000 |
| No annual entry: 1890/91 (AH 1308) | |||
| 1891 to 1894AH 1309 to 1311 | 2. Müdür | İskenderun | 900 |
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1858/59 (AH 1275)
- Birthplace
- Kayseri
- Community
- Armenian Christian (Ermeni)
- Nationality as recorded
- Ermeni
Education
- Community school
- Ermeni Millet Mektebi (4 years)Armenian community school
- Unpaid years (mülazemet)
- 0.5 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
- English
- Kitabetwriting
- French
- Kitabetwriting
- Italian
- Kitabetwriting
- 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
- 1877/78 (AH 1294)
- Place
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 500
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 Ahvâl kayıtlarına göre Kayseri doğumlu Gayrimüslim Osmanlı devlet adamları (h. 1255/m. 1839-40-h. 1300/m. 1882-83) (YAĞMUR ŞAHİN, 2017). Name as printed: Balyan Efendi. Printed pages 88, 89, PDF pages 102 and 103.
Probable link: same name and birthplace
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 10 officials with entries in İskenderun in the same years, Balyan Efendi had the 4th highest salary.
- İlyas Raci Efendi8 shared years; highest salary 800 kuruş
- Yusuf Hayrullah Efendi2 shared years; highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- YOSEF ÇOZİF EFENDİ2 shared years; highest salary 300 kuruş
- Mehmet Ali Bey1 shared year; highest salary 1,500 kuruş
- Yusuf Raci Efendi1 shared year; highest salary 1,500 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 232 officials with the title 2. Müdür in the same years, Balyan Efendi had the 78th highest salary.
- Mehmet Emin Efendi12 shared years; highest salary 1,580 kuruş
- İbrahim Edhem Efendi12 shared years; highest salary 1,500 kuruş
- Mustafa Efendi12 shared years; highest salary 1,500 kuruş
- Hasan Tahsin Efendi12 shared years; highest salary 1,300 kuruş
- Ahmed Sadık Efendi12 shared years; highest salary 1,200 kuruş
Same school
Of the 86 officials with Ermeni Millet Mektebi among their schools, Balyan Efendi had the 15th highest salary.
- Dikran Rasim Efendiborn 1857/58 (AH 1274); highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- Mihran Efendiborn 1857/58 (AH 1274); highest salary 760 kuruş
- Şişmanyan Bogos Efendiborn 1859/60 (AH 1276); highest salary 650 kuruş
- Alfo Efendiborn 1856/57 (AH 1273); highest salary 600 kuruş
- Bedros Efendiborn 1856/57 (AH 1273); highest salary 500 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 23 officials born in Kayseri, Balyan Efendi had the 3rd highest salary.
- Vartan Yıldızyanborn 1858/59 (AH 1275); highest salary 1,250 kuruş
- Besim Efendiborn 1859/60 (AH 1276); highest salary 700 kuruş
- Mehmet Cemalettin Efendiborn 1856/57 (AH 1273); highest salary 540 kuruş
- Fikri Efendiborn 1860/61 (AH 1277); highest salary 475 kuruş
- Ömer Lütfi Efendiborn 1855/56 (AH 1272); highest salary 1,500 kuruş
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 118 officials whose first annual entry is for 1877/78 (AH 1294), Balyan Efendi had the 18th highest salary.
- Ali Agah Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 500 kuruş
- Haci İsmail Hakki Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 500 kuruş
- Hasan Cemal Efendifirst entry in Karamürsel; highest salary 1,500 kuruş
- Mehmet Halis Efendifirst entry in Ruse (Rusçuk); highest salary 750 kuruş
- Mehmet Nuri Efendifirst entry in Rhodes (Rodos); highest salary 500 kuruş
Full record
Annual entries (17)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1877/78AH 1294 | Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti | Tarsus | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0005; 7 |
| 1878AH 1295 | Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti | Tarsus | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0005; 7 |
| 1878/79AH 1296 | Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti | Tarsus | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0005; 7 |
| 1879/80AH 1297 | Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti | Tarsus | 475 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0005; 7 |
| 1880/81AH 1298 | 2. Müdür | İskenderun | 760 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0005; 7 |
| 1881/82AH 1299 | 2. Müdür | İskenderun | 760 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0005; 7 |
| 1882/83AH 1300 | 2. Müdür | Adana | 760 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0005; 7 |
| 1883/84AH 1301 | 2. Müdür | Adana | 760 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0005; 7 |
| 1884/85AH 1302 | 2. Müdür | Adana | 760 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0005; 7 |
| 1885/86AH 1303 | 2. Müdür | İskenderun | 900 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0005; 7 |
| 1886/87AH 1304 | 2. Müdür | İskenderun | 900 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0005; 7 |
| 1887/88AH 1305 | 1. Müdür | İskenderun | 1,200 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0005; 7 |
| 1888/89AH 1306 | 2. Müdür | Rhodes (Rodos) | 1,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0005; 7 |
| 1889/90AH 1307 | 2. Müdür | Rhodes (Rodos) | 1,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0005; 7 |
| 1891/92AH 1309 | 2. Müdür | İskenderun | 900 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0005; 7 |
| 1892/93AH 1310 | 2. Müdür | İskenderun | 900 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0005; 7 |
| 1893/94AH 1311 | 2. Müdür | İskenderun | 900 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0062_0005; 7 |
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 | Balyan Efendi | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birth year (AH) | 1275 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birthplace | kayseri | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Province of birth | ankara | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Religion | Hristiyan | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Nationality or community | Ermeni | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Schooling | ||
| School | Ermeni Millet Mektebi | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Years of schooling | 4 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Years of apprenticeship (mülazemet) | 0.5 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work | ||
| First work: year (AH) | 1294 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1877 | 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) | 500 | 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.
- 17 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
- Balyan Efendi
- Director of the second grade (2. Müdür)
- İskenderun
- Kayseri
- Armenian community school (Ermeni Millet Mektebi)
- Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)
- Armenian Christian (Ermeni)
- 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)