Official
Mustafa Zeki Efendi
Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Kastamonu in 1845 (AH 1261). On record 1869 to 1904, 36 annual entries. Death recorded 1904/05.
Archive reference 5_326; 649
Life#
Born in Kastamonu in 1845 (AH 1261), Mustafa Zeki Efendi came from the Muslim (Müslüman) community. Schooling took four years, at a school for young children (Sıbyan Mektebi); Mustafa Zeki also attended the telegraph school.
At about 22, in 1867/68, Mustafa Zeki began work in Istanbul, with two unpaid years as a mülazım (apprentice) before a first salary of 200 kuruş. From 1869/70 to 1903/04 every annual entry places Mustafa Zeki in Istanbul, first as Muhabere Memuru, from 1870/71 in the dispatch office (Sevk Kalemi), from 1876/77 as a communications official (Muhabere Memuru) and from 1882/83 as a letters official (Mekâtib Memuru). Only 11 per cent of the 775 officials whose entries span 30 years or more stayed in one place throughout.
Pay rose from 200 kuruş a month in 1869/70 to a peak of 650 in 1893/94, as Mekâtib Memuru in Istanbul, when 72 per cent of paid officials earned less. In all, 36 years of salary come to 217,620 kuruş, about what an official on the median salary earned in those years. After the last annual entry, for 1903/04, the list of 1904/05 (AH 1322) gives the status word Vefat (death).
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 1845 (AH 1261)
First work 1867/68 (AH 1284); 1869 to 1904 (AH 1286 to 1321)
Muhabere Memuru 1869 to 1882 (AH 1286 to 1299); Sevk Kalemi 1870 to 1876 (AH 1287 to 1292); Mekâtib Memuru 1882 to 1904 (AH 1300 to 1321)
200 to 650 kuruş a month; entries in 36 years
Death recorded in the annual list of 1904/05 (AH 1322): the word Vefat, not a date of death.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1869/70 | 200 | 600 | 400 | 6% |
| 1870/71 | 200 | 600 | 467 | 5% |
| 1871/72 | 250 | 550 | 560 | 9% |
| 1872/73 | 300 | 550 | 600 | 11% |
| 1873/74 | 350 | 500 | 375 | 16% |
| 1874/75 | 400 | 535 | 400 | 23% |
| 1875/76 | 450 | 530 | 350 | 34% |
| 1876/77 | 500 | 582.5 | 410 | 36% |
| 1877/78 | 500 | 560 | 410 | 36% |
| 1878 | 500 | 600 | 500 | 33% |
| 1878/79 | 500 | 600 | 420 | 34% |
| 1879/80 | 400 | 500 | 380 | 35% |
| 1880/81 | 400 | 500 | 400 | 34% |
| 1881/82 | 400 | 500 | 400 | 31% |
| 1882/83 | 500 | 500 | 43% | |
| 1883/84 | 500 | 500 | 43% | |
| 1884/85 | 500 | 500 | 250 | 42% |
| 1885/86 | 500 | 500 | 250 | 42% |
| 1886/87 | 500 | 500 | 300 | 42% |
| 1887/88 | 500 | 500 | 400 | 41% |
| 1888/89 | 550 | 500 | 450 | 55% |
| 1889/90 | 550 | 500 | 400 | 55% |
| 1890/91 | 550 | 500 | 400 | 56% |
| 1891/92 | 600 | 500 | 250 | 59% |
| 1892/93 | 600 | 500 | 450 | 59% |
| 1893/94 | 650 | 500 | 650 | 72% |
| 1894/95 | 650 | 500 | 475 | 72% |
| 1895/96 | 650 | 500 | 475 | 72% |
| 1896/97 | 585 | 500 | 300 | 72% |
| 1897/98 | 600 | 500 | 260 | 73% |
| 1898/99 | 630 | 500 | 235 | 74% |
| 1899/1900 | 630 | 500 | 310.5 | 73% |
| 1900/01 | 630 | 500 | 300 | 71% |
| 1901/02 | 630 | 500 | 300 | 72% |
| 1902/03 | 630 | 500 | 235 | 72% |
| 1903/04 | 650 | 475 | 275 | 73% |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1867/68AH 1284 | First work | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 200first-salary field |
| 1869/70AH 1286 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 200 |
| 1870 to 1876AH 1287 to 1292 | Sevk Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 200 to 450 |
| 1876 to 1882AH 1293 to 1299 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 500 to 400 |
| 1882 to 1904AH 1300 to 1321 | Mekâtib Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 500 to 650 |
| 1904/05AH 1322 | Death recorded | ||
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1845 (AH 1261)
- Birthplace
- Kastamonu
- Community
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Nationality as recorded
- Turkish
- Death recorded
- 1904/05 (AH 1322)the year of the annual list with the word Vefat, not a date of death
Education
- Primary
- Sıbyan Mektebi (4 years)school for young children (primary school)
- Higher or professional
- Telgraf Mektebitelegraph school; recorded as a code
- Unpaid years (mülazemet)
- 2 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
- Turkish
- Kitabetwriting
The glosses are cautious historical readings of the recorded words, not modern levels of proficiency.
First work
- Year
- 1867/68 (AH 1284)
- Place
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 200
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 1,420 officials with entries in Istanbul in the same years, Mustafa Zeki Efendi had the 708th highest salary.
- Suleyman Resat Bey36 shared years; highest salary 7,000 kuruş
- Mehmet Hayri Bey36 shared years; highest salary 5,500 kuruş
- Melkok Efendi36 shared years; highest salary 5,000 kuruş
- Mehmet Salim Bey36 shared years; highest salary 3,000 kuruş
- Mustafa Fahrettin Bey36 shared years; highest salary 3,000 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 67 officials with the title Mekâtib Memuru in the same years, Mustafa Zeki Efendi had the 16th highest salary.
- Mehmet Bahattin Efendi15 shared years; highest salary 315 kuruş
- Ahmet Halit Efendi11 shared years; highest salary 720 kuruş
- Mehmed Cemal Efendi10 shared years; highest salary 1,500 kuruş
- Viçin Efendi9 shared years; highest salary 300 kuruş
- Mehmet Kamil Efendi7 shared years; highest salary 1,080 kuruş
Same school
Of the 746 officials with Sıbyan Mektebi among their schools, 745 have a recorded salary; Mustafa Zeki Efendi had the 380th highest salary of them.
- Abdullah Fikri Efendiborn 1845 (AH 1261); highest salary 600 kuruş
- Ahmet Hilmi Efendiborn 1845 (AH 1261); highest salary 675 kuruş
- Ahmet Naili Efendiborn 1845 (AH 1261); highest salary 600 kuruş
- Ahmet Raif Efendiborn 1845 (AH 1261); highest salary 1,500 kuruş
- Ali Efendiborn 1845 (AH 1261); highest salary 800 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 34 officials born in Kastamonu, Mustafa Zeki Efendi had the 12th highest salary.
- Ahmet Rifat Beyborn 1844/45 (AH 1260); highest salary 4,000 kuruş
- Mustafa Hamdi Efendiborn 1842/43 (AH 1258); highest salary 600 kuruş
- Mustafa Zihni Efendiborn 1848/49 (AH 1265); highest salary 600 kuruş
- Ali Riza Efendiborn 1852/53 (AH 1269); highest salary 400 kuruş
- Mehmet Methi Efendi (born 1836/37 (AH 1252); highest salary 5,000 kuruş
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 116 officials whose first annual entry is for 1869/70 (AH 1286), Mustafa Zeki Efendi had the 79th highest salary.
- Ahmet Nuri Beyfirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 2,500 kuruş
- Mustafa Musli Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- Ahmet Reşid Beyfirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 1,200 kuruş
- İbrahim Ethem Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 700 kuruş
- Abdullah Vehbi Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 500 kuruş
Full record
Annual entries (36)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1869/70AH 1286 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 200 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_326; 649 |
| 1870/71AH 1287 | Sevk Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 200 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_326; 649 |
| 1871/72AH 1288 | Sevk Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 250 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_326; 649 |
| 1872/73AH 1289 | Sevk Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 300 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_326; 649 |
| 1873/74AH 1290 | Sevk Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 350 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_326; 649 |
| 1874/75AH 1291 | Sevk Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_326; 649 |
| 1875/76AH 1292 | Sevk Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 450 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_326; 649 |
| 1876/77AH 1293 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_326; 649 |
| 1877/78AH 1294 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_326; 649 |
| 1878AH 1295 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_326; 649 |
| 1878/79AH 1296 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_326; 649 |
| 1879/80AH 1297 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_326; 649 |
| 1880/81AH 1298 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_326; 649 |
| 1881/82AH 1299 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_326; 649 |
| 1882/83AH 1300 | Mekâtib Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_326; 649 |
| 1883/84AH 1301 | Mekâtib Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_326; 649 |
| 1884/85AH 1302 | Mekâtib Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_326; 649 |
| 1885/86AH 1303 | Mekâtib Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_326; 649 |
| 1886/87AH 1304 | Mekâtib Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_326; 649 |
| 1887/88AH 1305 | Mekâtib Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_326; 649 |
| 1888/89AH 1306 | Mekâtib Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 550 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_326; 649 |
| 1889/90AH 1307 | Mekâtib Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 550 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_326; 649 |
| 1890/91AH 1308 | Mekâtib Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 550 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_326; 649 |
| 1891/92AH 1309 | Mekâtib Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_326; 649 |
| 1892/93AH 1310 | Mekâtib Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_326; 649 |
| 1893/94AH 1311 | Mekâtib Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 650 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_326; 649 |
| 1894/95AH 1312 | Mekâtib Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 650 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_326; 649 |
| 1895/96AH 1313 | Mekâtib Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 650 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_326; 649 |
| 1896/97AH 1314 | Mekâtib Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 585 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_326; 649 |
| 1897/98AH 1315 | Mekâtib Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_326; 649 |
| 1898/99AH 1316 | Mekâtib Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 630 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_326; 649 |
| 1899/1900AH 1317 | Mekâtib Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 630 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_326; 649 |
| 1900/01AH 1318 | Mekâtib Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 630 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_326; 649 |
| 1901/02AH 1319 | Mekâtib Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 630 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_326; 649 |
| 1902/03AH 1320 | Mekâtib Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 630 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_326; 649 |
| 1903/04AH 1321 | Mekâtib Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 650 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 5_326; 649 |
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 (15)
| Field | Recorded value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Name | Mustafa Zeki Efendi | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birth year (AH) | 1261 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birthplace | kastamonu | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Province of birth | kastamonu | 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 |
| Telegraph school (recorded code) | 1 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Years of apprenticeship (mülazemet) | 2 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work | ||
| First work: year (AH) | 1284 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1867 | 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) | 200 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Status | ||
| Death recorded under the year (AH) | 1322 | Earlier annual personnel extract (original copy); Earlier annual personnel extract (parallel copy) |
What the sources named in this table are
- Earlier annual personnel extract (original copy)
- A copy of the earlier annual personnel file, read for the title wording of each year. A death taken from it is the status word Vefat in the title field of one annual list: the year is the year of that list, not a date of death.
- Earlier annual personnel extract (parallel copy)
- A second copy of the earlier annual personnel file, read in the same way. A death taken from it is the status word Vefat in the title field of one annual list: the year is the year of that list, not a date of death. Two copies that agree are one piece of evidence, not two.
- 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.
- 35 annual entries of 36 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
- Mustafa Zeki Efendi
- Letters official (Mekâtib Memuru)
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- Kastamonu
- School for young children (Sıbyan 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)