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Ottoman BureaucracyPeople, places and careers in Ottoman public service

Official

Behçet Efendi

Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Kirkuk (Kerkük) in 1876/77 (AH 1293). On record 1904 to 1907, 3 annual entries.

Archive reference 154-97-189

Compare Behçet Efendi with other officials

Life

Behçet Efendi was born in Kirkuk (Kerkük) in 1876/77 (AH 1293) into the Muslim (Müslüman) community; the father was a director (müdür). Schooling took seven years, at a middle school (Rüşdiye Mektebi); Behçet also wrote Arabic, Persian and Turkish, and held a qualification (a diploma, certificate, training or decoration).

Work began in Baghdad (Bağdat) in 1904/05, at about 28, with three unpaid years as a mülazım (apprentice) before a first salary of 200 kuruş. From the first annual entry, for 1904/05, to 1906/07, every annual entry places Behçet in the same post, communications official (Muhabere Memuru), in Baghdad.

Pay rose from 200 kuruş a month in 1904/05 to a peak of 300 in 1906/07, as Muhabere Memuru in Baghdad, when one in four paid officials earned less. In all, three years of salary come to 8,400 kuruş, 50 per cent of what an official on the median salary earned in those years. The last annual entry is for 1906/07. An entry in "Sicill-i Ahval Defterlerine göre Kerküklü devlet adamları" by ORHAN ABDULBASIT ANWER ANWER (2021) probably refers to Behçet, since the name and the birthplace 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.

All 2 stops
birthplacefirst workplace of annual entriesmove, with the year of the first entry there
1904/0512KirkukBaghdad

  1. Kirkuk (Kerkük)

    Born 1876/77 (AH 1293)

  2. Baghdad (Bağdat)

    First work 1904/05 (AH 1322); 1904 to 1907 (AH 1322 to 1324)

    Muhabere Memuru

    200 to 300 kuruş a month; entries in 3 years

Career and salary

Monthly salary by year, kuruşsalary of the yearyears with one job titleno annual entry
01002003001904/05AH 13221905/06AH 13231906/07AH 1324300 kuruşMuhabere Memuru
Salary against the medians of the same year
2005001904/05AH 13221905/06AH 13231906/07AH 1324This officialMedian, all officialsMedian, same title

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
Salary of Behçet Efendi against the medians of the same year, kuruş a month
YearSalaryMedian, all officialsMedian, same titlePaid less
1904/052004503508%
1905/062004753308%
1906/0730045030025%

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.

Career of Behçet Efendi, one row per stage
YearsTitlePlaceSalary (kuruş a month)
1904/05AH 1322First workBaghdad (Bağdat)200first-salary field
1904 to 1907AH 1322 to 1324Muhabere Memuru
3 entries
YearSalary
1904/05200
1905/06200
1906/07300
Baghdad (Bağdat)200 to 300

Record

Personal

Born
1876/77 (AH 1293)
Community
Muslim (Müslüman)
Nationality as recorded
Turkish
Father's occupation
mudur

Education

Rüşdiye
Rüşdiye Mektebi (7 years)rüşdiye school (middle school)
Unpaid years (mülazemet)
3 years
Preparation route (classification of the paper)
Middle
Qualification (diploma, certificate, training or nişan)
Yes

The years count all schooling up to that school, as the record gives them.

Languages

Arabic
Kitabetwriting
Persian
Kitabetwriting
Turkish
Kitabetwriting

The glosses are cautious historical readings of the recorded words, not modern levels of proficiency.

First work

Year
1904/05 (AH 1322)
First salary field (kuruş a month)
200

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.

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 48 officials with entries in Baghdad (Bağdat) in the same years, Behçet Efendi had the 36th highest salary.

All 156 officials with entries in Baghdad (Bağdat)

Same job title, same years

Of the 1,001 officials with the title Muhabere Memuru in the same years, Behçet Efendi had the 626th highest salary.

All 3,162 officials with the title Muhabere Memuru

Same school

Of the 3,206 officials with Rüşdiye Mektebi among their schools, 3,200 have a recorded salary; Behçet Efendi had the 2,211th highest salary of them.

All 3,206 officials with Rüşdiye Mektebi

Same birthplace

Of the 30 officials born in Kirkuk (Kerkük), Behçet Efendi had the 25th highest salary.

The page of Kirkuk (Kerkük), with the 30 officials born there

First annual entry in the same year

Of the 120 officials whose first annual entry is for 1904/05 (AH 1322), Behçet Efendi had the 38th highest salary.

Full record

Annual entries (3)

Annual entries of Behçet Efendi
YearTitlePlaceKuruş a monthInstitutionSourceArchive reference
1904/05AH 1322Muhabere MemuruBaghdad (Bağdat)200Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)Recovered annual personnel extract154-97-189
1905/06AH 1323Muhabere MemuruBaghdad (Bağdat)200Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)Recovered annual personnel extract154-97-189
1906/07AH 1324Muhabere MemuruBaghdad (Bağdat)300Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)Recovered annual personnel extract154-97-189
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 (14)

Recorded values of Behçet Efendi with their sources
FieldRecorded valueSource
Identity
NameBehçet EfendiPersonnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
Birth year (AH)1293Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
BirthplacekerkukRecovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
Province of birthmusulRecovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
Father's occupationmudurRecovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
ReligionMuslumanRecovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
Nationality or communityTurkishRecovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
Schooling
SchoolRusdiye MektebiRecovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
Years of schooling7Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
Years of apprenticeship (mülazemet)3Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
First work
First work: year (AH)1322Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
First work: Gregorian year as stored1904Recovered annual personnel extract
First work: placeBagdatRecovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
First salary field (kuruş a month)200Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
What the sources named in this table are
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.
  • 2 annual entries of 3 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