Mehmet Arif Efendi

Mehmet Arif Efendi was born in Çorum in 1848/49 (AH 1265). The schooling was at a school for young children (Sıbyan Mektebi). Work began in Jeddah (Cidde) in 1866/67, at about 17, on a first salary of 250 kuruş. The first annual entry, for 1866/67, places Mehmet Arif in Jeddah as Gureba Hastanesi yazı işleri memuru. Alongside, the lists for 1885/86 give a second post, in Istanbul as Galata Gümrüğü muhasebe müdürü. Mehmet Arif then moved to Preveza (Preveze) and Jeddah from 1886 to 1895. Alongside, the lists for 1894 to 1897 give a second post, in Trabzon as Gümrük İdaresi görevlisi. The last posts were in Preveza in 1897/98 and Edirne in 1903/04. The farthest post, Jeddah, lay about 2,150 km from Çorum, and fewer than 4 per cent of the 5,339 officials with a known birthplace and place of service served as far from the birthplace. Five provinces on two continents in all, a number reached by fewer than 6 per cent of the 6,605 officials with a place of service.

The salary went from 250 kuruş a month in 1866/67 to 5,000 in 1894/95, the peak, in Trabzon, when 98 per cent of paid officials earned less. Over 23 years the salaries add up to 482,520 kuruş, 4.2 times what an official on the median salary earned. The last annual entry is for 1903/04.