Official
Mehmet Tevfik Efendi
Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Damascus (Şam) in 1872/73 (AH 1289). On record 1895 to 1906, 11 annual entries.
Archive reference 114_121; 237
Life#
Born in Damascus (Şam) in 1872/73 (AH 1289), Mehmet Tevfik Efendi came from the Muslim (Müslüman) community; the father's occupation was "Mahkeme Baskitabeti". Schooling took seven years, at a middle school (Rüşdiye Mektebi); Mehmet Tevfik also wrote Arabic, French and Turkish, and held a qualification (a diploma, certificate, training or decoration).
Work began in Damascus in 1892/93, at about 20, with three unpaid years as a mülazım (apprentice) before a first salary of 285 kuruş. The annual lists begin in 1895/96, with Mehmet Tevfik as a communications official (Muhabere Memuru) in Damascus, the birthplace, where the entries run to 1899/1900. Next came Ajloun (Aclun) from 1900 to 1903. The last posts were in Havran from 1903 to 1906, with a rise to travelling postal official (Seyyar Memur).
Pay rose from 285 kuruş a month in 1895/96 to a peak of 500 in 1903/04, as Seyyar Memur in Havran, when 51 per cent of paid officials earned less. The final annual entry is for 1905/06.
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 1872/73 (AH 1289); First work 1892/93 (AH 1310); 1895 to 1900 (AH 1313 to 1317)
285 to 315 kuruş a month; entries in 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1895/96 | 285 | 500 | 400 | 16% |
| 1896/97 | 315 | 500 | 400 | 25% |
| 1897/98 | 315 | 500 | 400 | 26% |
| 1898/99 | 315 | 500 | 400 | 25% |
| 1899/1900 | 315 | 500 | 400 | 25% |
| 1900/01 | 440 | 500 | 400 | 43% |
| 1901/02 | 440 | 500 | 400 | 45% |
| 1902/03 | 440 | 500 | 380 | 45% |
| 1903/04 | 500 | 475 | 675 | 51% |
| 1904/05 | 500 | 450 | 600 | 52% |
| 1905/06 | 500 | 475 | 540 | 50% |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1892/93AH 1310 | First work | Damascus (Şam) | 285first-salary field |
| 1895 to 1900AH 1313 to 1317 | Muhabere Memuru | Damascus (Şam) | 285 to 315 |
| 1900 to 1903AH 1318 to 1320 | Muhabere Memuru | Ajloun (Aclun) | 440 |
| 1903 to 1906AH 1321 to 1323 | Seyyar Memur | Havran | 500 |
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1872/73 (AH 1289)
- Birthplace
- Damascus (Şam)
- Community
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Nationality as recorded
- Turkish
- Father's occupation
- Mahkeme Baskitabeti
Education
- Rüşdiye
- Rüşdiye Mektebi (7 years)rüşdiye school (middle school)
- Unpaid years (mülazemet)
- 3 years
- Preparation route (classification of the paper)
- Middle
- Qualification (diploma, certificate, training or nişan)
- Yes
The years count all schooling up to that school, as the record gives them.
Languages
- Arabic
- Kitabetwriting
- French
- Kitabetwriting
- Turkish
- Kitabetwriting
The glosses are cautious historical readings of the recorded words, not modern levels of proficiency.
First work
- Year
- 1892/93 (AH 1310)
- Place
- Damascus (Şam)
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 285
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 41 officials with entries in Damascus (Şam) in the same years, Mehmet Tevfik Efendi had the 28th highest salary.
- Mahmut Hilmi Efendi5 shared years; highest salary 3,000 kuruş
- Ahmet Reşid Bey5 shared years; highest salary 1,200 kuruş
- Mehmet Rasih Efendi5 shared years; highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- Mehmet Sait Efendi5 shared years; highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- Ahmet Emin Efendi5 shared years; highest salary 790 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 1,487 officials with the title Muhabere Memuru in the same years, Mehmet Tevfik Efendi had the 637th highest salary.
- Mehmet Hulusi Bey8 shared years; highest salary 2,600 kuruş
- Mustafa Fazıl Bey8 shared years; highest salary 1,700 kuruş
- Mehmet Sadullah Efendi8 shared years; highest salary 1,650 kuruş
- Mehmet Asım Efendi8 shared years; highest salary 1,550 kuruş
- Mehmet Hurşit Efendi8 shared years; highest salary 1,500 kuruş
Same school
Of the 3,206 officials with Rüşdiye Mektebi among their schools, 3,200 have a recorded salary; Mehmet Tevfik Efendi had the 1,253rd highest salary of them.
- Abdulgafur Sırrı Efendiborn 1872/73 (AH 1289); highest salary 500 kuruş
- Abdullah Arif Efendiborn 1872/73 (AH 1289); highest salary 600 kuruş
- Abdullah Behçet Efendiborn 1872/73 (AH 1289); highest salary 600 kuruş
- Abdüllatif Efendiborn 1872/73 (AH 1289); highest salary 520 kuruş
- Abdurrahman Akif Efendiborn 1872/73 (AH 1289); highest salary 1,000 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 59 officials born in Damascus (Şam), Mehmet Tevfik Efendi had the 18th highest salary.
- Mehmet Hayri Efendiborn 1872/73 (AH 1289); highest salary 600 kuruş
- Kadri Efendiborn 1871/72 (AH 1288); highest salary 400 kuruş
- Osman Şemli Efendiborn 1873/74 (AH 1290); highest salary 500 kuruş
- Mehmet Ali Efendiborn 1870/71 (AH 1287); highest salary 500 kuruş
- Abdullah Halit Efendiborn 1874/75 (AH 1291); highest salary 1,000 kuruş
The page of Damascus (Şam), with the 59 officials born there
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 183 officials whose first annual entry is for 1895/96 (AH 1313), 182 have a recorded salary; Mehmet Tevfik Efendi had the 56th highest salary of them.
- Ali Rıza Efendifirst entry in Damascus (Şam); highest salary 800 kuruş
- İsmail Hakkı Efendifirst entry in Damascus (Şam); highest salary 540 kuruş
- Ahmet Tevfik Efendifirst entry in Damascus (Şam); highest salary 250 kuruş
- Mehmet Fahri Efendifirst entry in Damascus (Şam); highest salary 400 kuruş
- Bekir Sarim Efendifirst entry in Damascus (Şam); highest salary 800 kuruş
Full record
Annual entries (11)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1895/96AH 1313 | Muhabere Memuru | Damascus (Şam) | 285 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 114_121; 237 |
| 1896/97AH 1314 | Muhabere Memuru | Damascus (Şam) | 315 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 114_121; 237 |
| 1897/98AH 1315 | Muhabere Memuru | Damascus (Şam) | 315 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 114_121; 237 |
| 1898/99AH 1316 | Muhabere Memuru | Damascus (Şam) | 315 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 114_121; 237 |
| 1899/1900AH 1317 | Muhabere Memuru | Damascus (Şam) | 315 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 114_121; 237 |
| 1900/01AH 1318 | Muhabere Memuru | Ajloun (Aclun) | 440 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 114_121; 237 |
| 1901/02AH 1319 | Muhabere Memuru | Ajloun (Aclun) | 440 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 114_121; 237 |
| 1902/03AH 1320 | Muhabere Memuru | Ajloun (Aclun) | 440 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 114_121; 237 |
| 1903/04AH 1321 | Seyyar Memur | Havran | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 114_121; 237 |
| 1904/05AH 1322 | Seyyar Memur | Havran | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 114_121; 237 |
| 1905/06AH 1323 | Seyyar Memur | Havran | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 114_121; 237 |
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 (14)
| Field | Recorded value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Name | Mehmet Tevfik Efendi | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birth year (AH) | 1289 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birthplace | sam | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Province of birth | suriye | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Father's occupation | mahkeme baskitabeti | 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) | 3 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work | ||
| First work: year (AH) | 1310 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1892 | Recovered annual personnel extract |
| First work: place | sam | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First salary field (kuruş a month) | 285 | 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.
- 11 annual entries of 11 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 Tevfik Efendi
- Communications official (Muhabere Memuru)
- Damascus (Şam)
- Rüşdiye school (Rüşdiye Mektebi)
- Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Travelling postal official (Seyyar Memur)
- 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)