Refail Musa Efendi

Born 1873/74 (AH 1290) · Aleppo (Halep) · Dated entries 1885 to 1905 (AH 1303 to 1322)

Languages Arabic, French, Italian, Turkish

Archival reference BOA, DH. SAİDd. 69 289

The career, year by year

Each mark opens a dated entry. Colour identifies the place; blank years remain gaps.

Open all 18 dated years and their entries

The life

Refail Musa Efendi was born in Aleppo (Halep) in 1873/74 (AH 1290), within the Musevilik community. The father’s occupation was Tüccar. Schooling included Halep Millet Mektebi. The language repertoire included Arabic, French, Italian and Turkish.^[1]

Service began in Aleppo (Halep) in 1885/86 (AH 1303). Dated career entries span 1885/86 (AH 1303) to 1904/05 (AH 1322) across 18 AH years, from Aleppo (Halep) to Chios (Sakız), beginning with Halep Vilayeti Telgraf Merkezi Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiyye memuru and ending with entries for Sakız Telgraf ve Posta Merkezi memuru. More than one post or place appears in 7 of those years. Place names include Aleppo (Halep), Adana, Mersin and Diyarbakır and 4 other named places.^[1]

Monthly pay went from 308 kuruş in 1885/86 (AH 1303) to 545 kuruş in 1904/05 (AH 1322); the highest recorded monthly rate is 1,000 kuruş in 1898/99 (AH 1316).^[1]

Personal record

Birth: Aleppo (Halep) · 1873/74 (AH 1290)^[source]
Father’s occupation: Tüccar^[source]
Education: Halep Millet Mektebi^[source]
First work: 1885/86 (AH 1303) · Aleppo (Halep)^[source]
Age at first work: 13^[source]Calculated year-label differences and source-stated ages are distinguished; alternatives remain visible.
First salary: 308 kuruş^[source]Personal salary figure; not tied to a specific appointment.

Career in numbers

18
Dated AH years: 9
Career place names: 1
Entries without a resolved year: 18
Salary years: 308 → 545
Annual series: first → last kuruş/month: 1,000
Peak in annual series, kuruş/month: 65.0%
Peers paid less in last year

About these numbers

Dated AH years. Across career and documentary records; not tenure.
Career place names. Distinct place labels; some may not be mapped.
Entries without a resolved year. The original calendar wording remains available without inventing an annual year.
Salary years. One highest recorded monthly rate per official-year; gaps are blank.
Annual series: first → last kuruş/month. 1885/86 (AH 1303) to 1904/05 (AH 1322); nominal rates in observed years.
Peak in annual series, kuruş/month. 1898/99 (AH 1316)
Peers paid less in last year. Share of other officials in the annual salary reference with lower pay in 1904/05 (AH 1322).

Life and career

Complete chronology & sources →

Follow 13 dated stages in the life. Choose a year in the life ribbon below the map. Places and earlier connections accumulate as you advance; All stops reveals the overview.

● Birth○ First work● Career→ Earlier recorded connections

Stage 1 of 13 · Aleppo (Halep)

How to read this map

Connections join located entries in chronological stages; other recorded places stay in the text. Dashed connections pass intervening stages without a map position. They do not document a travel route or continuous service.

Entries within the same AH year are not ordered. Stages with more than one located locality remain unconnected; each source place stays visible.

1 stop kept as text without a verified locality point. No provincial capital is substituted.

1
1873/74 (AH 1290)
Aleppo (Halep)
1. Birth
  Personal record & evidence →
2
1885/86 (AH 1303)
Aleppo (Halep)
Within-year entry order unresolved
1. First work as recorded
  Calculated age 13
  Personal record & evidence →
2. Halep Vilayeti Telgraf Merkezi Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiyye memuru
  308 kuruşCalculated age 13
  Entry & evidence →[1]
3
1886/87 (AH 1304) · 6 recorded years
Aleppo (Halep)
AH entries: 1304, 1305, 1306, 1307, 1308, 1309. Gaps remain open.
Within-year entry order unresolved
1. Halep Vilayeti Telgraf Merkezi Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiyye memuru
  308 kuruşCalculated age 14
  Continuing service as described
  Entry & evidence →[1]
2. Halep Vilayeti Telgraf Merkezi Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiyye memuru
  500 kuruşCalculated age 19
  Continuing service as described
  Entry & evidence →[1]
All 8 recorded entries in this stage →
4
1892/93 (AH 1310)
Aleppo (Halep) / Adana / Mersin
Within-year entry order unresolved
1. Aleppo (Halep)
  Halep Vilayeti Telgraf Merkezi Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiyye memuru
  500 kuruşCalculated age 20
  Continuing service as described
  Entry & evidence →[1]
2. Mersin
  Mersin Telgraf Merkezi Lisan-ı Ecnebiyye memuru
  500 kuruşCalculated age 20
  Entry & evidence →[1]
All 3 recorded entries in this stage →
5
1893/94 (AH 1311)
Mersin / Place not recorded
Within-year entry order unresolved
Not yet located on the map: Location not recorded
1. Mersin
  Mersin Telgraf Merkezi Lisan-ı Ecnebiyye memuru
  500 kuruşCalculated age 21
  Continuing service as described
  Entry & evidence →[1]
2. Place not recorded
  İstifa
  Calculated age 21
  Entry & evidence →[1]
6
1894/95 (AH 1312)
Diyarbakır
1. Diyarbekir Vilayeti Telgraf ve Posta Merkezi Lisan-ı Ecnebiyye muhasebe memuru
  400 kuruşCalculated age 22
  Entry & evidence →[1]
7
1895/96 (AH 1313)
Diyarbakır / Aleppo (Halep)
Within-year entry order unresolved
1. Diyarbakır
  Diyarbekir Vilayeti Telgraf ve Posta Merkezi Lisan-ı Ecnebiyye muhasebe memuru
  400 kuruşCalculated age 23
  Continuing service as described
  Entry & evidence →[1]
2. Aleppo (Halep)
  Halep Telgraf ve Posta Merkezi Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiyye memuru
  400 kuruşCalculated age 23
  Entry & evidence →[1]
8
1896/97 (AH 1314)
Aleppo (Halep) / Place not recorded / Alucı
Within-year entry order unresolved
Not yet located on the map: Location not recorded; Alucı
1. Aleppo (Halep)
  Halep Telgraf ve Posta Merkezi Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiyye memuru
  400 kuruşCalculated age 24
  Continuing service as described
  Entry & evidence →[1]
2. Alucı
  Alucı Telgraf ve Posta Merkezi Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiyye memuru
  600 kuruşCalculated age 24
  Entry & evidence →[1]
All 3 recorded entries in this stage →
9
1897/98 (AH 1315)
Alucı
Not yet located on the map: Alucı
1. Alucı Telgraf ve Posta Merkezi Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiyye memuru
  600 kuruşCalculated age 25
  Continuing service as described
  Entry & evidence →[1]
10
1898/99 (AH 1316)
Alucı / Jerusalem (Kudüs) / Chios (Sakız)
Within-year entry order unresolved
Not yet located on the map: Alucı
1. Alucı
  Alucı Telgraf ve Posta Merkezi Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiyye memuru
  600 kuruşCalculated age 26
  Continuing service as described
  Entry & evidence →[1]
2. Chios (Sakız)
  Sakız Telgraf ve Posta Merkezi posta memuru
  500 kuruşCalculated age 26
  Entry & evidence →[1]
All 3 recorded entries in this stage →
11
1899/1900 (AH 1317)
Chios (Sakız) / Izmir (İzmir)
Within-year entry order unresolved
1. Chios (Sakız)
  Sakız Telgraf ve Posta Merkezi posta memuru
  500 kuruşCalculated age 27
  Continuing service as described
  Entry & evidence →[1]
2. Izmir (İzmir)
  İzmir Telgraf ve Posta Merkezi Mekatib-i Mürsele ve Tasarruf memuru
  500 kuruşCalculated age 27
  Entry & evidence →[1]
12
1900/01 (AH 1318) · 2 recorded years
Izmir (İzmir)
AH entries: 1318, 1319. Gaps remain open.
Within-year entry order unresolved
1. İzmir Telgraf ve Posta Merkezi Mekatib-i Mürsele ve Tasarruf memuru
  500 kuruşCalculated age 28
  Continuing service as described
  Entry & evidence →[1]
2. İzmir Telgraf Muhabere memuru
  250 kuruşCalculated age 29
  Entry & evidence →[1]
All 4 recorded entries in this stage →
13
1904/05 (AH 1322)
Chios (Sakız)
1. Sakız Telgraf ve Posta Merkezi memuru
  545 kuruşCalculated age 32
  Entry & evidence →[1]

1 entry without a resolved year

These entries remain outside the dated sequence. Their position in the life cannot be established from the recorded year field.

Beyoğlu telgrafhanesinde geçici görev · Istanbul (Dersaadet) · Undated Entry & evidence → Source [1]

Gregorian spans accompany recorded AH years; exact dates retain their cited wording. Stated ages are labelled; other ages are calculated only within the same recorded calendar. Missing amounts remain unrecorded; zero remains zero.

Pay over time

Pay in its time

Current collection salary comparison

Dated AH salary records of the currently selected officials; undated evidence remains in the chronology.

Monthly rate and same-year salariesNominal monthly kuruş · log scale · annual entries only

Relative pay percentileShare of other annual-entry officials paid less

Use Enter, Space or ← / → on a salary point, or click the percentile panel to choose the nearest observed AH year. All yearly values appear below.

Marks show observed AH years only; gaps remain blank and no line implies continuous pay or service. The reference range includes the focal official when they are in the sample.

How the comparison is calculated

One highest recorded salary per official and AH year. Same-year medians, nearest-rank 10th and 90th percentiles, and relative standing are recomputed from the selected collection.

Amounts are nominal monthly kuruş in years with a recorded salary. Gaps are left blank; values are not adjusted for prices. Explicitly unpaid zero entries remain in the chronology and are omitted from logarithmic salary plots.

View the yearly values

Monthly nominal kuruş. “Paid less” is the share of other officials in the same-year annual-entry sample with lower recorded pay; N is official-year observations.
AH year	Official rate	Sample median	Sample p10 to p90	Paid less	N
1885/86 (AH 1303)	308	400	150 to 1,500	37.8%	1787
1886/87 (AH 1304)	308	400	150 to 1,500	38.2%	1725
1887/88 (AH 1305)	400	400	150 to 1,500	43.8%	1762
1888/89 (AH 1306)	400	400	135 to 1,500	45.6%	1797
1889/90 (AH 1307)	400	400	130 to 1,500	46.2%	1874
1890/91 (AH 1308)	500	400	125 to 1,500	56.0%	1896
1891/92 (AH 1309)	500	400	140 to 1,600	56.1%	1927
1892/93 (AH 1310)	500	400	135 to 1,500	56.2%	1935
1893/94 (AH 1311)	500	400	140 to 1,400	55.4%	1929
1894/95 (AH 1312)	400	400	140 to 1,500	44.9%	2004
1895/96 (AH 1313)	400	400	140 to 1,500	44.7%	1981
1896/97 (AH 1314)	600	450	150 to 1,575	64.0%	2119
1897/98 (AH 1315)	600	400	140 to 1,425	70.5%	1891
1898/99 (AH 1316)	1,000	400	144 to 1,400	83.1%	1844
1899/1900 (AH 1317)	500	400	140 to 1,440	55.3%	1821
1900/01 (AH 1318)	500	400	140 to 1,500	55.5%	1761
1901/02 (AH 1319)	500	400	150 to 1,520	54.4%	1666
1904/05 (AH 1322)	545	400	135 to 1,500	65.0%	1493

Career patterns and pay

Recorded pay over the career

Kuruş · dated amounts

Open every recorded amount and its year

Open the pay figure and complete career

Select an amount for its date, post, place and age.

● Post entry● Retirement● Other status

Dated rates and labelled continuing-service entries, not total annual earnings. Missing amounts remain blank; zero remains zero.

Where the career is recorded

Distinct AH years with career entries

Aleppo (Halep)10
1885 to 1897 (AH 1303 to 1314)
Alucı3
1896 to 1899 (AH 1314 to 1316)
Chios (Sakız)3
1898 to 1905 (AH 1316 to 1322)
Izmir (İzmir)3
1899 to 1902 (AH 1317 to 1319)
Diyarbakır2
1894 to 1896 (AH 1312 to 1313)
Mersin2
1892 to 1894 (AH 1310 to 1311)

The six most recorded places. Gaps do not count as service. One year can have entries in several places.

Amounts recorded by place

Kuruş · smallest to largest dated rate

Aleppo (Halep)308 to 500
Alucı600
Chios (Sakız)500 to 545
Izmir (İzmir)250 to 500
Diyarbakır400
Mersin500

Six places with the most recorded career years. Ranges retain different rates and source assertions. Retirement amounts are separate from post pay.

Titles across the recorded years

Distinct AH years with each recorded title

Halep Vilayeti Telgraf Merkezi Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiyye memuru8
1885 to 1893 (AH 1303 to 1310)
Alucı Telgraf ve Posta Merkezi Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiyye memuru3
1896 to 1899 (AH 1314 to 1316)
Diyarbekir Vilayeti Telgraf ve Posta Merkezi Lisan-ı Ecnebiyye muhasebe memuru2
1894 to 1896 (AH 1312 to 1313)
Halep Telgraf ve Posta Merkezi Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiyye memuru2
1895 to 1897 (AH 1313 to 1314)
İzmir Telgraf ve Posta Merkezi Mekatib-i Mürsele ve Tasarruf memuru2
1899 to 1901 (AH 1317 to 1318)
İzmir Vilayeti Telgraf Muhabere Lisan-ı Ecnebiyye memuru2
1900 to 1902 (AH 1318 to 1319)

The most recorded title wordings. A year may include more than one title; these counts do not establish promotions or continuous tenure.

Related officials in the salary reference

Aleppo (Halep)72 other officialsVasil Efendi born 1873/74 (AH 1290); highest salary 400 kuruş
Aleppo (Halep)75 other officialsLeon Efendi 10 shared years; highest salary 740 kuruş
1885/86 (AH 1303)180 other officialsNikola Efendi first entry in Aleppo (Halep); highest salary 800 kuruş

All related groups and salary ranks

Education and personal record

Schooling Halep Millet Mektebi^[source]

Language skills and historical terms

Kitâbet means writing; tekellüm means speaking; âşinâ means familiarity.

Arabic · Kitâbetokur yazar^[1]
French · Kitâbetokur yazar^[1]
Italian · Kitâbetokur yazar^[1]
Turkish · Kitâbetokur yazar^[1]

All personal fields and their sources

Read every original personal field and its sources →

Sources and evidence

Sicill-i Ahvâl kayıtlarına göre Osmanlı bürokrasisinde Halep doğumlu gayrimüslim memurlar
ZEYNEP ÖTKÜN · 2023 · Pages 101, 102, 103
BOA, DH. SAİDd. 69 289

Read the original source accounts · 32 source entries →

The chronology groups compatible entries for reading. Each original account remains available with its wording, dates, amounts and archival reference.

Yearly entries and their source passages · 18 dated AH years

Read the complete chronology and its documentary sources

Annual salary study and register readings

The separate annual salary reference account has 31 entries. Its maps, salary comparisons, register readings and original values remain available in the study view.

Open the salary study and register readings →

How to read the records