Official
Mehmet Ali Efendi
Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Istanbul (Dersaadet) in 1871/72 (AH 1288). On record 1894 to 1904, 10 annual entries.
Archive reference 70_104; 205
Life#
Born in Istanbul in 1871/72 (AH 1288), Mehmet Ali Efendi came from the Muslim (Müslüman) community; the father was a muezzin. Mehmet Ali had seven years of schooling, at a middle school (Rüşdiye Mektebi).
Work began in Istanbul in 1890/91, at about 19, with four unpaid years as a mülazım (apprentice) before a first salary of 60 kuruş. The annual lists begin in 1894/95, with Mehmet Ali as a communications official (Muhabere Memuru) in Babi seraskeri. Mehmet Ali then moved to Beirut (Beyrut) from 1895 to 1903. The last post was in Kahramanmaraş (Maraş) in 1903/04.
Pay rose from 60 kuruş a month in 1894/95 to a peak of 400 in 1903/04, as Muhabere Memuru in Kahramanmaraş, when 36 per cent of paid officials earned less. Over ten years the salaries add up to 31,620 kuruş, 52 per cent of what an official on the median salary earned. The final annual entry is for 1903/04.
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 1871/72 (AH 1288); First work 1890/91 (AH 1308)
1895 to 1903 (AH 1313 to 1320)
250 to 285 kuruş a month; entries in 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1894/95 | 60 | 500 | 400 | 2% |
| 1895/96 | 250 | 500 | 400 | 13% |
| 1896/97 | 250 | 500 | 400 | 13% |
| 1897/98 | 250 | 500 | 400 | 14% |
| 1898/99 | 285 | 500 | 400 | 18% |
| 1899/1900 | 285 | 500 | 400 | 17% |
| 1900/01 | 285 | 500 | 400 | 17% |
| 1901/02 | 285 | 500 | 400 | 19% |
| 1902/03 | 285 | 500 | 380 | 20% |
| 1903/04 | 400 | 475 | 350 | 36% |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1890/91AH 1308 | First work | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 60first-salary field |
| 1894/95AH 1312 | Muhabere Memuru | Babi seraskeri | 60 |
| 1895 to 1903AH 1313 to 1320 | Muhabere Memuru | Beirut (Beyrut) | 250 to 285 |
| 1903/04AH 1321 | Muhabere Memuru | Kahramanmaraş (Maraş) | 400 |
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1871/72 (AH 1288)
- Birthplace
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- Community
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Nationality as recorded
- Turkish
- Father's occupation
- Muezzin
Education
- Rüşdiye
- Rüşdiye Mektebi (7 years)rüşdiye school (middle school)
- Unpaid years (mülazemet)
- 4 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
- Turkish
- Kitabetwriting
The glosses are cautious historical readings of the recorded words, not modern levels of proficiency.
First work
- Year
- 1890/91 (AH 1308)
- Place
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 60
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 109 officials with entries in Beirut (Beyrut) in the same years, Mehmet Ali Efendi had the 87th highest salary.
- Mustafa Esir Efendi8 shared years; highest salary 1,600 kuruş
- Habip Efendi8 shared years; highest salary 950 kuruş
- Kaysar Efendi8 shared years; highest salary 800 kuruş
- Kayser Minir Efendi8 shared years; highest salary 800 kuruş
- Mehmet Besir Efendi8 shared years; highest salary 750 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 1,713 officials with the title Muhabere Memuru in the same years, Mehmet Ali Efendi had the 1,074th highest salary.
- Mehmet Hulusi Bey10 shared years; highest salary 2,600 kuruş
- Mustafa Fazıl Bey10 shared years; highest salary 1,700 kuruş
- Mehmet Sadullah Efendi10 shared years; highest salary 1,650 kuruş
- Mehmet Asım Efendi10 shared years; highest salary 1,550 kuruş
- Mehmet Hurşit Efendi10 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 Ali Efendi had the 1,725th highest salary of them.
- Abdi Zühtü Efendiborn 1871/72 (AH 1288); highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- Abdullah Avni Efendiborn 1871/72 (AH 1288); highest salary 380 kuruş
- Ahmet Cevdet Efendiborn 1871/72 (AH 1288); highest salary 900 kuruş
- Ahmet Hamdi Efendiborn 1871/72 (AH 1288); highest salary 210 kuruş
- Ahmet Hamdi Efendiborn 1871/72 (AH 1288); highest salary 300 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 1,999 officials born in Istanbul, 1,997 have a recorded salary; Mehmet Ali Efendi had the 1,196th highest salary of them.
- Ahmet Bahaattin Efendiborn 1871/72 (AH 1288); highest salary 1,500 kuruş
- Ahmet Cevdet Efendiborn 1871/72 (AH 1288); highest salary 900 kuruş
- Ahmet Hamdi Efendiborn 1871/72 (AH 1288); highest salary 210 kuruş
- Ahmet Hamdi Efendiborn 1871/72 (AH 1288); highest salary 300 kuruş
- Ahmet Hulusi Efendiborn 1871/72 (AH 1288); highest salary 700 kuruş
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 173 officials whose first annual entry is for 1894/95 (AH 1312), Mehmet Ali Efendi had the 97th highest salary.
- Mehmet Ali Efendifirst entry in Babi seraskeri; highest salary 350 kuruş
- Ahmet Bahaattin Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 1,500 kuruş
- Ahmet Hamdi Efendifirst entry in Büyükdere; highest salary 210 kuruş
- Ahmet Nazım Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 800 kuruş
- Aziz Mahmut Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 1,200 kuruş
Full record
Annual entries (10)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1894/95AH 1312 | Muhabere Memuru | Babi seraskeri | 60 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 70_104; 205 |
| 1895/96AH 1313 | Muhabere Memuru | Beirut (Beyrut) | 250 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 70_104; 205 |
| 1896/97AH 1314 | Muhabere Memuru | Beirut (Beyrut) | 250 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 70_104; 205 |
| 1897/98AH 1315 | Muhabere Memuru | Beirut (Beyrut) | 250 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 70_104; 205 |
| 1898/99AH 1316 | Muhabere Memuru | Beirut (Beyrut) | 285 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 70_104; 205 |
| 1899/1900AH 1317 | Muhabere Memuru | Beirut (Beyrut) | 285 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 70_104; 205 |
| 1900/01AH 1318 | Muhabere Memuru | Beirut (Beyrut) | 285 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 70_104; 205 |
| 1901/02AH 1319 | Muhabere Memuru | Beirut (Beyrut) | 285 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 70_104; 205 |
| 1902/03AH 1320 | Muhabere Memuru | Beirut (Beyrut) | 285 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 70_104; 205 |
| 1903/04AH 1321 | Muhabere Memuru | Kahramanmaraş (Maraş) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 70_104; 205 |
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 Ali Efendi | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birth year (AH) | 1288 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birthplace | dersaadet | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Province of birth | dersaadet | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Father's occupation | muezzin | 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) | 4 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work | ||
| First work: year (AH) | 1308 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1891 | 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) | 60 | 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.
- 10 annual entries of 10 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 Efendi
- Communications official (Muhabere Memuru)
- Beirut (Beyrut)
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- 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)