Official
Hacı Mahmut Rifat Efendi
Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Aleppo (Halep) in 1832/33 (AH 1248). On record 1864 to 1873, 9 annual entries.
Archive reference 3_298; 592
Life#
Hacı Mahmut Rifat Efendi was born in Aleppo (Halep) in 1832/33 (AH 1248), into the Muslim (Müslüman) community. At about 24, in 1856/57, Mahmut Rifat began work in the Zaptiye Kalemi in Bosna, paid from the start, on 500 kuruş a month. The first annual entry, for 1864/65, names Mahmut Rifat as Nahiye Memuru, with no place. Mahmut Rifat then moved to Istanbul, Edirne, Konya and Suriye, four places in seven years, with a rise to a post in the stamp clerkship (Pul Kitabeti) in 1867/68 and to inspector (Müfettiş) in 1869/70. The last entry, for 1872/73, names Mahmut Rifat as a district governor (Kaymakam), with no place.
Pay rose from 250 kuruş a month in 1864/65 to a peak of 3,000 in 1871/72, as Müfettiş in Suriye, when 96 per cent of paid officials earned less. That salary was paid for a single year, and the next list gives 1,800 kuruş. In all, nine years of salary come to 168,120 kuruş, 2.6 times what an official on the median salary earned in those years, a level reached by fewer than 6 per cent of the 3,805 officials paid for five years or more. The final annual entry is for 1872/73.
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.
Not on the map, as no position is recorded: stop 3 (Gokce dag), stop 8 (Reyhanli).
Born 1832/33 (AH 1248)
Gokce dag as worded, no place record not on the map
1864/65 (AH 1281)
250 kuruş a month; entries in 1 year
1865 to 1869 (AH 1282 to 1285)
Evrak Kalemi 1865 to 1867 (AH 1282 to 1283); Pul Kitabeti 1867 to 1869 (AH 1284 to 1285)
600 to 1,380 kuruş a month; entries in 4 years
Reyhanli as worded, no place record not on the map
1872/73 (AH 1289)
1,800 kuruş a month; entries in 1 year
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1864/65 | 250 | 625 | 8% | |
| 1865/66 | 600 | 650 | 46% | |
| 1866/67 | 600 | 600 | 49% | |
| 1867/68 | 1,380 | 600 | 83% | |
| 1868/69 | 1,380 | 600 | 84% | |
| 1869/70 | 2,500 | 600 | 3,500 | 93% |
| 1870/71 | 2,500 | 600 | 3,500 | 94% |
| 1871/72 | 3,000 | 550 | 3,000 | 96% |
| 1872/73 | 1,800 | 550 | 92% |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1856/57AH 1273 | Zaptiye Kalemifirst work | Bosna | 500first-salary field |
| 1864/65AH 1281 | Nahiye Memuru | 250 | |
| 1865 to 1867AH 1282 to 1283 | Evrak Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 600 |
| 1867 to 1869AH 1284 to 1285 | Pul Kitabeti | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,380 |
| 1869/70AH 1286 | Müfettiş | Edirne | 2,500 |
| 1870/71AH 1287 | Müfettiş | Konya | 2,500 |
| 1871/72AH 1288 | Müfettiş | Suriye | 3,000 |
| 1872/73AH 1289 | Kaymakam | 1,800 |
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1832/33 (AH 1248)
- Birthplace
- Aleppo (Halep)
- Community
- Muslim (Müslüman)
- Nationality as recorded
- Turkish
Education
- Primary
- Sıbyan Mektebi (4 years)school for young children (primary school)
- Unpaid years (mülazemet)
- 0 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
- Arabic
- Tekellumspeaking
- Turkish
- Kitabetwriting
The glosses are cautious historical readings of the recorded words, not modern levels of proficiency.
First work
- Year
- 1856/57 (AH 1273)
- Place
- Bosna
- First job as worded
- Zaptiye Kalemi
- Age at first work (workbook field)
- 22
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 500
- First-job salary of the original workbook (kuruş a month)
- 500
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 138 officials with entries in Istanbul in the same years, Hacı Mahmut Rifat Efendi had the 34th highest salary.
- Ahmet Munir Bey4 shared years; highest salary 11,000 kuruş
- Emil Efendi4 shared years; highest salary 9,000 kuruş
- İsmail Hakki Bey4 shared years; highest salary 7,500 kuruş
- Ali Refik Bey4 shared years; highest salary 6,000 kuruş
- Mehmet Hayri Bey4 shared years; highest salary 5,500 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 17 officials with the title Müfettiş in the same years, Hacı Mahmut Rifat Efendi had the 14th highest salary.
- Hüseyin Lebib Efendi3 shared years; highest salary 4,000 kuruş
- Mustafa Agah Efendi3 shared years; highest salary 4,000 kuruş
- Jul Lekaye Efendi3 shared years; highest salary 3,800 kuruş
- Abdülhalim Bey3 shared years; highest salary 3,500 kuruş
- Jory Raymon Efendi3 shared years; highest salary 2,400 kuruş
Same school
Of the 746 officials with Sıbyan Mektebi among their schools, 745 have a recorded salary; Hacı Mahmut Rifat Efendi had the 33rd highest salary of them.
- Ahmet Tevfik Beyborn 1832/33 (AH 1248); highest salary 3,000 kuruş
- Es-Seyyid Ali Riza Efendiborn 1832/33 (AH 1248); highest salary 800 kuruş
- İbrahim Kâmil Efendiborn 1832/33 (AH 1248); highest salary 4,500 kuruş
- Mehmet Emin Efendiborn 1832/33 (AH 1248); highest salary 1,875 kuruş
- Mehmet Nuri Efendiborn 1832/33 (AH 1248); highest salary 650 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 67 officials born in Aleppo (Halep), Hacı Mahmut Rifat Efendi had the highest salary.
- Emil Efendiborn 1842/43 (AH 1258); highest salary 2,750 kuruş
- Rifat Antuvan Efendiborn 1842/43 (AH 1258); highest salary 600 kuruş
- Fetullah Nuri Efendiborn 1845/46 (AH 1262); highest salary 1,000 kuruş
- Mehmet Vahit Efendiborn 1845/46 (AH 1262); highest salary 810 kuruş
- Mehmet Efendiborn 1847/48 (AH 1264); highest salary 1,800 kuruş
The page of Aleppo (Halep), with the 67 officials born there
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 40 officials whose first annual entry is for 1864/65 (AH 1281), Hacı Mahmut Rifat Efendi had the 7th highest salary.
- Kadri Paşafirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 5,000 kuruş
- Mehmet Sait Efendfirst entry in Beyoğlu; highest salary 620 kuruş
- Karabet Efendifirst entry in Beirut (Beyrut); highest salary 720 kuruş
- Mehmet Şükrü Efendifirst entry in Izmir (İzmir); highest salary 1,300 kuruş
- Tertine Efendifirst entry in Gaza (Gazze); highest salary 850 kuruş
Full record
Annual entries (9)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1864/65AH 1281 | Nahiye Memuru | Gokce dag | 250 | Other | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 3_298; 592 |
| 1865/66AH 1282 | Evrak Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 3_298; 592 |
| 1866/67AH 1283 | Evrak Kalemi | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 600 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 3_298; 592 |
| 1867/68AH 1284 | Pul Kitabeti | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,380 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 3_298; 592 |
| 1868/69AH 1285 | Pul Kitabeti | Istanbul (Dersaadet) | 1,380 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 3_298; 592 |
| 1869/70AH 1286 | Müfettiş | Edirne | 2,500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 3_298; 592 |
| 1870/71AH 1287 | Müfettiş | Konya | 2,500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 3_298; 592 |
| 1871/72AH 1288 | Müfettiş | Suriye | 3,000 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 3_298; 592 |
| 1872/73AH 1289 | Kaymakam | Reyhanli | 1,800 | Other | Cross-ministry personnel workbook | 3_298; 592 |
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 (22)
| Field | Recorded value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Name | Hacı Mahmut Rifat Efendi | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Linked personnel workbook |
| Birth year (AH) | 1248 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birthplace | halep | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birthplace: district (kaza) | Halep | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birthplace: sancak | Halep | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Birthplace: province (vilayet) | Halep | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Province of birth | halep | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| 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 | Sibyan Mektebi | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Years of schooling | 4 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Years of apprenticeship (mülazemet) | 0 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work | ||
| First work: year (AH) | 1273 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Linked personnel workbook |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1857 | Recovered annual personnel extract |
| First work: place | Bosna | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work: district (kaza) | Bosna | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work: sancak | Bosna | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First work: province (vilayet) | Bosna | Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| First job as worded | Zaptiye Kalemi | Linked personnel workbook; Cross-ministry personnel workbook |
| Age at first work (workbook field) | 22 | 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.
- 2 annual entries of 9 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
- Hacı Mahmut Rifat Efendi
- Inspector (Müfettiş)
- Istanbul (Dersaadet)
- Aleppo (Halep)
- 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)