Official
Mahmut Efendi
Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Dagistan in 1859/60 (AH 1276). On record 1885 to 1905, 20 annual entries.
Archive reference 0034_0209; 415
Life#
Mahmut Efendi was born in Dagistan in 1859/60 (AH 1276) into the Muslim (Müslüman) community; the father was a tradesman (esnaf). Schooling took seven years, at the Imperial Palace School (Enderun-ı Hümayun Mektebi); Mahmut also wrote Turkish and had some knowledge of French.
Mahmut began work in Istanbul in 1869/70, at about 10, with nine unpaid years as a mülazım (apprentice) before a first salary of 500 kuruş. Few began so young; 33 of the 5,128 officials whose age at first work is known started at 10 or younger. Of the 5,142 officials with a known apprenticeship, fewer than 2 per cent worked unpaid for nine years or longer. Every annual entry from 1885/86 to 1904/05 places Mahmut in Istanbul, first in the statistics office (İstatistik Kalemi), from 1886/87 in the documents office (Evrak Kalemi).
The salary went from 340 kuruş a month in 1885/86 to 720 in 1902/03, the peak, in the Evrak Kalemi in Istanbul, when 77 per cent of paid officials earned less. Over 20 years the salaries add up to 149,400 kuruş, 1.3 times what an official on the median salary earned. The final annual entry is for 1904/05. Mahmut probably has an entry in "Sicill-i Ahvâl defterlerine göre Osmanlı bürokrasisinde Dağıstanlılar" by SAİT ARAS (2023) (the name, the birthplace and the archive register and page agree).
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 1859/60 (AH 1276)
First work 1869/70 (AH 1286); 1885 to 1905 (AH 1303 to 1322)
First work as Enderunu Humayun
İstatistik Kalemi 1885/86 (AH 1303); Evrak Kalemi 1886 to 1905 (AH 1304 to 1322)
340 to 720 kuruş a month; entries in 20 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1885/86 | 340 | 500 | 500 | 17% | |
| 1886/87 | 500 | 500 | 440 | 500 | 42% |
| 1887/88 | 550 | 500 | 430 | 500 | 56% |
| 1888/89 | 570 | 500 | 500 | 500 | 57% |
| 1889/90 | 570 | 500 | 200 | 500 | 57% |
| 1890/91 | 600 | 500 | 150 | 500 | 59% |
| 1891/92 | 600 | 500 | 150 | 500 | 59% |
| 1892/93 | 620 | 500 | 255 | 500 | 71% |
| 1893/94 | 650 | 500 | 300 | 480 | 72% |
| 1894/95 | 650 | 500 | 200 | 450 | 72% |
| 1895/96 | 650 | 500 | 210 | 440 | 72% |
| 1896/97 | 585 | 500 | 217.5 | 425 | 72% |
| 1897/98 | 605 | 500 | 222.5 | 425 | 74% |
| 1898/99 | 700 | 500 | 250 | 440 | 80% |
| 1899/1900 | 700 | 500 | 300 | 450 | 77% |
| 1900/01 | 700 | 500 | 300 | 450 | 76% |
| 1901/02 | 700 | 500 | 250 | 440 | 76% |
| 1902/03 | 720 | 500 | 245 | 450 | 77% |
| 1903/04 | 720 | 475 | 240 | 450 | 77% |
| 1904/05 | 720 | 450 | 300 | 450 | 77% |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1869/70AH 1286 | Enderunu Humayunfirst work | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 500first-salary field |
| 1885/86AH 1303 | İstatistik Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 340 |
| 1886 to 1905AH 1304 to 1322 | Evrak Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 500 to 720 |
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1859/60 (AH 1276)
- Birthplace
- Dagistan
- Community
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Nationality as recorded
- Turkish
- Father's occupation
- Esnaf
Education
- Other named school
- Enderun-ı Hümayun Mektebi (7 years)Imperial Palace School (Enderun)
- Unpaid years (mülazemet)
- 9 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
- French
- Asinafamiliarity
- Turkish
- Kitabetwriting
The glosses are cautious historical readings of the recorded words, not modern levels of proficiency.
First work
- Year
- 1869/70 (AH 1286)
- Place
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- First job as worded
- Enderunu Humayun
- Age at first work (workbook field)
- 10
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 500
- First-job salary of the original workbook (kuruş a month)
- 500
Named in scholarly works#
No link between a work and an official has been accepted. Each entry was found by fixed rules on the name and the recorded fields, and says what it rests on.
Sicill-i Ahvâl defterlerine göre Osmanlı bürokrasisinde Dağıstanlılar (SAİT ARAS, 2023). Name as printed: Mahmud Efendi. PDF pages 217, 218 and 219.
Probable link: same name, birthplace and register and page of the archive reference
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 49 officials who held Evrak Kalemi in Istanbul in the same years, Mahmut Efendi had the 10th highest salary.
- Mehmed Tevfik Efendi18 shared years; highest salary 525 kuruş
- Osman Nuri Efendi17 shared years; highest salary 370 kuruş
- Mustafa Nazif Efendi14 shared years; highest salary 1,200 kuruş
- Mehmet Emin Efendi13 shared years; highest salary 890 kuruş
- İsmail Hakkı Efendi13 shared years; highest salary 350 kuruş
Same place, same years
Of the 1,242 officials with entries in Istanbul in the same years, Mahmut Efendi had the 515th highest salary.
- Salahattin Bey20 shared years; highest salary 7,800 kuruş
- Suleyman Resat Bey20 shared years; highest salary 7,000 kuruş
- Mehmet Hayri Bey20 shared years; highest salary 5,500 kuruş
- Melkok Efendi20 shared years; highest salary 5,000 kuruş
- Mehmet Salim Bey20 shared years; highest salary 3,000 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 55 officials with the title Evrak Kalemi in the same years, Mahmut Efendi had the 12th highest salary.
- Mehmed Tevfik Efendi18 shared years; highest salary 525 kuruş
- Osman Nuri Efendi17 shared years; highest salary 370 kuruş
- Mustafa Nazif Efendi14 shared years; highest salary 1,200 kuruş
- Mehmet Emin Efendi13 shared years; highest salary 890 kuruş
- İsmail Hakkı Efendi13 shared years; highest salary 350 kuruş
Same school
Of the 5 officials with Enderun-ı Hümayun Mektebi among their schools, Mahmut Efendi had the lowest salary.
- Hüsnü Efendiborn 1857/58 (AH 1274); highest salary 800 kuruş
- Ali Rıza Efendiborn 1856/57 (AH 1273); highest salary 2,000 kuruş
- Hüseyin Saik Efendiborn 1844/45 (AH 1260); highest salary 1,100 kuruş
- Mehmet Celalettin Efendiborn 1839/40 (AH 1255); highest salary 1,500 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 4 officials born in Dagistan, Mahmut Efendi had the 2nd highest salary.
- Mehmet Tevfik Efendiborn 1853/54 (AH 1270); highest salary 640 kuruş
- Mustafa Asim Efendiborn 1853/54 (AH 1270); highest salary 1,200 kuruş
- ZİYAETTİN EFENDİborn 1881/82 (AH 1299); highest salary 400 kuruş
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 93 officials whose first annual entry is for 1885/86 (AH 1303), Mahmut Efendi had the 28th highest salary.
- İbrahim Neşet Beyfirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 240 kuruş
- Mehmet Hasim Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 400 kuruş
- Mehmet Neşet Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 500 kuruş
- Mustafa Naili Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 700 kuruş
- Mustafa Sabri Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 475 kuruş
Full record
Annual entries (20)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1885/86AH 1303 | İstatistik Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 340 | Other | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 0034_0209; 415 |
| 1886/87AH 1304 | Evrak Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0209; 415 |
| 1887/88AH 1305 | Evrak Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 550 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0209; 415 |
| 1888/89AH 1306 | Evrak Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 570 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0209; 415 |
| 1889/90AH 1307 | Evrak Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 570 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0209; 415 |
| 1890/91AH 1308 | Evrak Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0209; 415 |
| 1891/92AH 1309 | Evrak Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0209; 415 |
| 1892/93AH 1310 | Evrak Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 620 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0209; 415 |
| 1893/94AH 1311 | Evrak Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 650 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0209; 415 |
| 1894/95AH 1312 | Evrak Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 650 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0209; 415 |
| 1895/96AH 1313 | Evrak Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 650 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0209; 415 |
| 1896/97AH 1314 | Evrak Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 585 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0209; 415 |
| 1897/98AH 1315 | Evrak Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 605 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0209; 415 |
| 1898/99AH 1316 | Evrak Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 700 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0209; 415 |
| 1899/1900AH 1317 | Evrak Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 700 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0209; 415 |
| 1900/01AH 1318 | Evrak Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 700 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0209; 415 |
| 1901/02AH 1319 | Evrak Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 700 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0209; 415 |
| 1902/03AH 1320 | Evrak Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 720 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0209; 415 |
| 1903/04AH 1321 | Evrak Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 720 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0209; 415 |
| 1904/05AH 1322 | Evrak Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 720 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0034_0209; 415 |
What the sources named in this table are
- Cross-ministry personnel workbook
- A personnel workbook with the annual entries in institutions other than the Post and Telegraph (justice, land registry, customs, police and others), with the same annual fields as the personnel workbook.
- 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 (19)
| Field | Recorded value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Name | Mahmut Efendi | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Linked personnel workbook |
| Birth year (AH) | 1276 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birthplace | dagistan | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Father's occupation | esnaf | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Religion | Musluman | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Nationality or community | Turkish | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Schooling | ||
| School | Enderuni Humayun Mektebi | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Years of schooling | 7 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Years of apprenticeship (mülazemet) | 9 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work | ||
| First work: year (AH) | 1286 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Linked personnel workbook |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1869 | Recovered annual personnel extract |
| First work: place | istanbul | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work: district (kaza) | istanbul | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work: sancak | istanbul | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work: province (vilayet) | istanbul | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First job as worded | Enderunu Humayun | Linked personnel workbook; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Age at first work (workbook field) | 10 | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First salary field (kuruş a month) | 500 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First-job salary of the original workbook (kuruş a month) | 500 | Linked personnel workbook; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
What the sources named in this table are
- Cross-ministry personnel workbook
- A personnel workbook with the annual entries in institutions other than the Post and Telegraph (justice, land registry, customs, police and others), with the same annual fields as the personnel workbook.
- 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.
- Linked personnel workbook
- The original personnel workbook, from which selected fields on background and first work are taken.
- Origin of the record: Post and Telegraph personnel records.
How to read this record: calendar years, years without an annual entry, salaries and sources.
Subjects
- Mahmut Efendi
- Documents office (Evrak Kalemi)
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- Dagistan
- Imperial Palace School (Enderun-ı Hümayun 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)