Official
Mehmet Fettah Efendi
Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Istanbul (Dersaadet) in 1855/56 (AH 1272). On record 1880 to 1898, 18 annual entries. Death recorded 1898/99.
Archive reference 0065_0096; 189
Life#
Born in Istanbul in 1855/56 (AH 1272), Mehmet Fettah Efendi came from the Muslim (Müslüman) community; the father was a senior clerk (hulefa). Schooling took seven years, at a middle school (Rüşdiye Mektebi).
Mehmet Fettah began work in Istanbul in 1877/78, at about 21, with four unpaid years as a mülazım (apprentice) before a first salary of 320 kuruş. The annual lists begin in 1880/81, with Mehmet Fettah as a communications official (Muhabere Memuru) in Beirut (Beyrut), where the entries run to 1887/88. Next came a return to Istanbul, the birthplace, from 1888 to 1896. The last posts were in Beyoğlu from 1896 to 1898.
The salary went from 360 kuruş a month in 1880/81 to 500 in 1882/83, the peak, as Muhabere Memuru in Beirut, when 43 per cent of paid officials earned less. After 18 years the salary stood below the first, 320 kuruş against 360; fewer than 7 per cent of the 2,010 officials paid for 15 years or more ended as low. The last annual entry is for 1897/98; the list of 1898/99 (AH 1316) 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 1855/56 (AH 1272); First work 1877/78 (AH 1294)
1880 to 1888 (AH 1298 to 1305)
360 to 500 kuruş a month; entries in 8 years
1888 to 1896 (AH 1306 to 1313)
250 to 320 kuruş a month; entries in 8 years
Death recorded in the annual list of 1898/99 (AH 1316): 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880/81 | 360 | 500 | 400 | 20% |
| 1881/82 | 400 | 500 | 400 | 31% |
| 1882/83 | 500 | 500 | 400 | 43% |
| 1883/84 | 500 | 500 | 400 | 43% |
| 1884/85 | 500 | 500 | 400 | 42% |
| 1885/86 | 500 | 500 | 400 | 42% |
| 1886/87 | 500 | 500 | 400 | 42% |
| 1887/88 | 500 | 500 | 400 | 41% |
| 1888/89 | 250 | 500 | 400 | 8% |
| 1889/90 | 250 | 500 | 400 | 10% |
| 1890/91 | 250 | 500 | 400 | 10% |
| 1891/92 | 250 | 500 | 400 | 12% |
| 1892/93 | 290 | 500 | 400 | 17% |
| 1893/94 | 290 | 500 | 400 | 17% |
| 1894/95 | 320 | 500 | 400 | 23% |
| 1895/96 | 320 | 500 | 400 | 24% |
| 1896/97 | 320 | 500 | 400 | 25% |
| 1897/98 | 320 | 500 | 400 | 26% |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1877/78AH 1294 | First work | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 320first-salary field |
| 1880 to 1888AH 1298 to 1305 | Muhabere Memuru | Beirut (Beyrut) | 360 to 500 |
| 1888 to 1896AH 1306 to 1313 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 250 to 320 |
| 1896 to 1898AH 1314 to 1315 | Muhabere Memuru | Beyoğlu | 320 |
| 1898/99AH 1316 | Death recorded | ||
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1855/56 (AH 1272)
- Birthplace
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- Community
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Nationality as recorded
- Turkish
- Father's occupation
- Hulefa
- Death recorded
- 1898/99 (AH 1316)the year of the annual list with the word Vefat, not a date of death
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
- 1877/78 (AH 1294)
- Place
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 320
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 43 officials with entries in Beirut (Beyrut) in the same years, Mehmet Fettah Efendi had the 33rd highest salary.
- Mehmet İzzet Efendi8 shared years; highest salary 980 kuruş
- Kamil Efendi8 shared years; highest salary 800 kuruş
- Mehmet Kamil Efendi8 shared years; highest salary 760 kuruş
- Mehmet Efendi7 shared years; highest salary 545 kuruş
- Yusuf Yaşar Sabit Efendi7 shared years; highest salary 400 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 1,778 officials with the title Muhabere Memuru in the same years, Mehmet Fettah Efendi had the 1,057th highest salary.
- Mehmet Arif Efendi18 shared years; highest salary 3,600 kuruş
- Mehmet Hulusi Bey18 shared years; highest salary 2,600 kuruş
- Ömer Nuri Efendi18 shared years; highest salary 1,500 kuruş
- Nikola Yunani Efendi18 shared years; highest salary 1,350 kuruş
- Mehmet Nazım Efendi18 shared years; highest salary 1,300 kuruş
Same school
Of the 3,206 officials with Rüşdiye Mektebi among their schools, 3,200 have a recorded salary; Mehmet Fettah Efendi had the 1,253rd highest salary of them.
- Abdullah Süreyya Efendiborn 1855/56 (AH 1272); highest salary 540 kuruş
- Abdülmecit Efendiborn 1855/56 (AH 1272); highest salary 700 kuruş
- Ahmet Fuat Beyborn 1855/56 (AH 1272); highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- Ahmet Hayri Efendiborn 1855/56 (AH 1272); highest salary 675 kuruş
- Ahmet Raşit Efendiborn 1855/56 (AH 1272); highest salary 975 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 1,999 officials born in Istanbul, 1,997 have a recorded salary; Mehmet Fettah Efendi had the 986th highest salary of them.
- Ahmet Fuat Beyborn 1855/56 (AH 1272); highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- Ahmet Raşit Efendiborn 1855/56 (AH 1272); highest salary 975 kuruş
- Antranik Efendiborn 1855/56 (AH 1272); highest salary 720 kuruş
- Hafiz Ali Efendiborn 1855/56 (AH 1272); highest salary 300 kuruş
- Halil Rasih Efendiborn 1855/56 (AH 1272); highest salary 400 kuruş
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 81 officials whose first annual entry is for 1880/81 (AH 1298), 80 have a recorded salary; Mehmet Fettah Efendi had the 52nd highest salary of them.
- İbrahim Hilmi Efendifirst entry in Beirut (Beyrut); highest salary 380 kuruş
- Kaysar Efendifirst entry in Sidon (Sayda); highest salary 800 kuruş
- Unnamed official (0087_0090, sayfa no:177.)first entry in Chios (Sakız); highest salary 500 kuruş
- Ali Rıza Efendifirst entry in Komotini (Gümülcine); highest salary 1,500 kuruş
- Necip Efendifirst entry in Arta (Narda); highest salary 500 kuruş
Full record
Annual entries (18)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880/81AH 1298 | Muhabere Memuru | Beirut (Beyrut) | 360 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0096; 189 |
| 1881/82AH 1299 | Muhabere Memuru | Beirut (Beyrut) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0096; 189 |
| 1882/83AH 1300 | Muhabere Memuru | Beirut (Beyrut) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0096; 189 |
| 1883/84AH 1301 | Muhabere Memuru | Beirut (Beyrut) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0096; 189 |
| 1884/85AH 1302 | Muhabere Memuru | Beirut (Beyrut) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0096; 189 |
| 1885/86AH 1303 | Muhabere Memuru | Beirut (Beyrut) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0096; 189 |
| 1886/87AH 1304 | Muhabere Memuru | Beirut (Beyrut) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0096; 189 |
| 1887/88AH 1305 | Muhabere Memuru | Beirut (Beyrut) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0096; 189 |
| 1888/89AH 1306 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 250 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0096; 189 |
| 1889/90AH 1307 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 250 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0096; 189 |
| 1890/91AH 1308 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 250 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0096; 189 |
| 1891/92AH 1309 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 250 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0096; 189 |
| 1892/93AH 1310 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 290 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0096; 189 |
| 1893/94AH 1311 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 290 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0096; 189 |
| 1894/95AH 1312 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 320 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0096; 189 |
| 1895/96AH 1313 | Muhabere Memuru | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 320 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0096; 189 |
| 1896/97AH 1314 | Muhabere Memuru | Beyoğlu | 320 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0096; 189 |
| 1897/98AH 1315 | Muhabere Memuru | Beyoğlu | 320 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0096; 189 |
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 | Mehmet Fettah Efendi | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birth year (AH) | 1272 | 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 | hulefa | 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) | 1294 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1877 | 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) | 320 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Status | ||
| Death recorded under the year (AH) | 1316 | 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.
- 18 annual entries of 18 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 Fettah 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)