Official
Mehmet Zeki Efendi
Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Bitlis in 1874/75 (AH 1291). On record 1890 to 1904, 14 annual entries.
Archive reference 69_144; 285
Life#
Mehmet Zeki Efendi was born in Bitlis in 1874/75 (AH 1291) into the Muslim (Müslüman) community; the father was a telegraph official (telgraf memuru). Schooling took four years, at a school for young children (Sıbyan Mektebi).
At about 16, in 1889/90, Mehmet Zeki began work in Bitlis, with one unpaid year as a mülazım (apprentice) before a first salary of 190 kuruş. The first annual entry, for 1890/91, places Mehmet Zeki in Bitlis, the birthplace, as an official (Memur), where the entries run to 1892/93. Next came Hakkâri (Çölemerik) and Başkale from 1893 to 1897. The last posts were in Bitlis again from 1897 to 1904.
Pay rose from 190 kuruş a month in 1890/91 to a peak of 400 in 1893/94, as a communications official (Muhabere Memuru) in Hakkâri, when 30 per cent of paid officials earned less. Over 14 years the salaries add up to 59,880 kuruş, 71 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 1874/75 (AH 1291); First work 1889/90 (AH 1307); 1890 to 1893 (AH 1308 to 1310)
Memur 1890 to 1892 (AH 1308 to 1309); Muhabere Memuru 1892/93 (AH 1310)
190 to 200 kuruş a month; entries in 3 years
1893 to 1896 (AH 1311 to 1313)
400 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, and the median of the same province for the years in which at least 5 officials were paid in the province of the official's salary that year.
The numbers of the chart
| Year | Salary | Median, all officials | Median, same title | Median, same province | Paid less |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1890/91 | 190 | 500 | 285 | 400 | 7% |
| 1891/92 | 200 | 500 | 200 | 400 | 9% |
| 1892/93 | 200 | 500 | 400 | 400 | 9% |
| 1893/94 | 400 | 500 | 400 | 500 | 30% |
| 1894/95 | 400 | 500 | 400 | 500 | 30% |
| 1895/96 | 400 | 500 | 400 | 600 | 30% |
| 1896/97 | 400 | 500 | 400 | 500 | 32% |
| 1897/98 | 400 | 500 | 400 | 400 | 32% |
| 1898/99 | 400 | 500 | 400 | 400 | 31% |
| 1899/1900 | 400 | 500 | 400 | 400 | 31% |
| 1900/01 | 400 | 500 | 400 | 400 | 31% |
| 1901/02 | 400 | 500 | 400 | 400 | 32% |
| 1902/03 | 400 | 500 | 380 | 400 | 33% |
| 1903/04 | 400 | 475 | 350 | 400 | 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1889/90AH 1307 | First work | Bitlis | 190first-salary field |
| 1890 to 1892AH 1308 to 1309 | Memur | Bitlis | 190 to 200 |
| 1892/93AH 1310 | Muhabere Memuru | Bitlis | 200 |
| 1893 to 1896AH 1311 to 1313 | Muhabere Memuru | Hakkâri (Çölemerik) | 400 |
| 1896/97AH 1314 | Muhabere Memuru | Başkale | 400 |
| 1897 to 1904AH 1315 to 1321 | Muhabere Memuru | Bitlis | 400 |
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1874/75 (AH 1291)
- Birthplace
- Bitlis
- Community
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Nationality as recorded
- Turkish
- Father's occupation
- Telgraf Memuru
Education
- Primary
- Sıbyan Mektebi (4 years)school for young children (primary school)
- Unpaid years (mülazemet)
- 1 year
- 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
- Turkish
- Kitabetwriting
The glosses are cautious historical readings of the recorded words, not modern levels of proficiency.
First work
- Year
- 1889/90 (AH 1307)
- Place
- Bitlis
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 190
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 post (job title and place), same years
Of the 15 officials who held Muhabere Memuru in Bitlis in the same years, Mehmet Zeki Efendi had the 8th highest salary.
- Mehmet Tahir Efendi6 shared years; highest salary 640 kuruş
- Yusuf Ziya Efendi6 shared years; highest salary 400 kuruş
- Hasan Zühtü Efendi4 shared years; highest salary 600 kuruş
- Mehmet Behçet Lami Efendi4 shared years; highest salary 400 kuruş
- Ali Riza Efendi3 shared years; highest salary 400 kuruş
Same place, same years
Of the 29 officials with entries in Bitlis in the same years, Mehmet Zeki Efendi had the 20th highest salary.
- Mehmet Tahir Efendi6 shared years; highest salary 640 kuruş
- Yusuf Ziya Efendi6 shared years; highest salary 400 kuruş
- Ömer Lütfi Efendi4 shared years; highest salary 3,000 kuruş
- Ali İrfan Efendi4 shared years; highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- Hasan Zühtü Efendi4 shared years; highest salary 600 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 1,903 officials with the title Muhabere Memuru in the same years, Mehmet Zeki Efendi had the 1,238th highest salary.
- Mehmet Hulusi Bey12 shared years; highest salary 2,600 kuruş
- Mustafa Fazıl Bey12 shared years; highest salary 1,700 kuruş
- Mehmet Sadullah Efendi12 shared years; highest salary 1,650 kuruş
- Mehmet Asım Efendi12 shared years; highest salary 1,550 kuruş
- Ali Şevket Efendi12 shared years; highest salary 1,450 kuruş
Same school
Of the 746 officials with Sıbyan Mektebi among their schools, 745 have a recorded salary; Mehmet Zeki Efendi had the 617th highest salary of them.
- Ahmet Asım Efendiborn 1874/75 (AH 1291); highest salary 250 kuruş
- Ahmet Tevfik Efendiborn 1874/75 (AH 1291); highest salary 250 kuruş
- Abdülaziz Hikmet Efendiborn 1873/74 (AH 1290); highest salary 600 kuruş
- AHMET HULUSİ EFENDİborn 1873/74 (AH 1290); highest salary 250 kuruş
- Fahri Efendiborn 1873/74 (AH 1290); highest salary 240 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 14 officials born in Bitlis, Mehmet Zeki Efendi had the 9th highest salary.
- Abdülbaki Efendiborn 1873/74 (AH 1290); highest salary 400 kuruş
- Unnamed official (0067_00226; sayfa no:449)born 1873/74 (AH 1290); highest salary 540 kuruş
- Yusuf Ziya Efendiborn 1875/76 (AH 1292); highest salary 400 kuruş
- Kasım Cemil Efendiborn 1877/78 (AH 1294); highest salary 300 kuruş
- Mehmet Besim Efendiborn 1877/78 (AH 1294); highest salary 430 kuruş
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 102 officials whose first annual entry is for 1890/91 (AH 1308), Mehmet Zeki Efendi had the 75th highest salary.
- Cafer Sadık Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 70 kuruş
- Hacı Mahmut Ziya Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 175 kuruş
- Hacı Mahmut Ziya Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 450 kuruş
- Halil Sıtkı Efendifirst entry in Trabzon; highest salary 2,000 kuruş
- Mehmet Arif Efendifirst entry in Aleppo (Halep); highest salary 615 kuruş
Full record
Annual entries (14)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1890/91AH 1308 | Memur | Bitlis | 190 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 69_144; 285 |
| 1891/92AH 1309 | Memur | Bitlis | 200 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 69_144; 285 |
| 1892/93AH 1310 | Muhabere Memuru | Bitlis | 200 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 69_144; 285 |
| 1893/94AH 1311 | Muhabere Memuru | Hakkâri (Çölemerik) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 69_144; 285 |
| 1894/95AH 1312 | Muhabere Memuru | Hakkâri (Çölemerik) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 69_144; 285 |
| 1895/96AH 1313 | Muhabere Memuru | Hakkâri (Çölemerik) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 69_144; 285 |
| 1896/97AH 1314 | Muhabere Memuru | Başkale | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 69_144; 285 |
| 1897/98AH 1315 | Muhabere Memuru | Bitlis | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 69_144; 285 |
| 1898/99AH 1316 | Muhabere Memuru | Bitlis | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 69_144; 285 |
| 1899/1900AH 1317 | Muhabere Memuru | Bitlis | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 69_144; 285 |
| 1900/01AH 1318 | Muhabere Memuru | Bitlis | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 69_144; 285 |
| 1901/02AH 1319 | Muhabere Memuru | Bitlis | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 69_144; 285 |
| 1902/03AH 1320 | Muhabere Memuru | Bitlis | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 69_144; 285 |
| 1903/04AH 1321 | Muhabere Memuru | Bitlis | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 69_144; 285 |
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 Zeki Efendi | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birth year (AH) | 1291 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birthplace | bitlis | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Province of birth | bitlis | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Father's occupation | telgraf memuru | 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 | Sibyan 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) | 1 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work | ||
| First work: year (AH) | 1307 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1890 | Recovered annual personnel extract |
| First work: place | Bitlis | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First salary field (kuruş a month) | 190 | 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.
- 14 annual entries of 14 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 Zeki Efendi
- Communications official (Muhabere Memuru)
- Bitlis
- School for young children (Sıbyan Mektebi)
- Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Official (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)