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Ottoman BureaucracyPeople, places and careers in Ottoman public service

Official

Mehmet Ziya Efendi

Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Istanbul (Dersaadet) in 1867/68 (AH 1284). On record 1900 to 1904, 4 annual entries. Death recorded 1904/05.

Archive reference 121-108-211

Compare Mehmet Ziya Efendi with other officials

Life

Mehmet Ziya Efendi was born in Istanbul in 1867/68 (AH 1284) into the Muslim (Müslüman) community; the father was a clerk (ketebe). Schooling took seven years, at a middle school (Rüşdiye Mektebi).

At about 28, in 1895/96, Mehmet Ziya began work in Istanbul, with five unpaid years as a mülazım (apprentice) before a first salary of 600 kuruş. The annual lists begin in 1900/01, with Mehmet Ziya as a travelling postal official (Seyyar Memur) in Thessaloniki (Selanik). The last posts were in Aydın from 1901 to 1904.

The salary never rose above the first in the lists, 600 kuruş a month in 1900/01, as Seyyar Memur in Thessaloniki, when 67 per cent of paid officials earned less. After the last annual entry, for 1903/04, the list of 1904/05 (AH 1322) 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.

All 3 stops
birthplaceplace of annual entriesmove, with the year of the first entry there
1900/011901/02123IstanbulThessalonikiAydın

  1. Istanbul (Dersaadet)

    Born 1867/68 (AH 1284); First work 1895/96 (AH 1313)

  2. Thessaloniki (Selanik)

    1900/01 (AH 1318)

    Seyyar Memur

    600 kuruş a month; entries in 1 year

  3. Aydın

    1901 to 1904 (AH 1319 to 1321)

    Seyyar Memur

    500 to 600 kuruş a month; entries in 3 years

  4. Death recorded in the annual list of 1904/05 (AH 1322): the word Vefat, not a date of death.

Career and salary

Monthly salary by year, kuruşsalary of the yearyears with one job titleno annual entry
02004006001900/01AH 13181901/02AH 13191902/03AH 13201903/04AH 1321600 kuruşSeyyar Memur
Salary against the medians of the same year
2005001,0001900/01AH 13181901/02AH 13191902/03AH 13201903/04AH 1321This 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 Mehmet Ziya Efendi against the medians of the same year, kuruş a month
YearSalaryMedian, all officialsMedian, same titlePaid less
1900/0160050060067%
1901/0250050060049%
1902/0350050060049%
1903/0460047567567%

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 Mehmet Ziya Efendi, one row per stage
YearsTitlePlaceSalary (kuruş a month)
1895/96AH 1313First workIstanbul (Dersaadet)600first-salary field
1900/01AH 1318Seyyar MemurThessaloniki (Selanik)600
1901 to 1904AH 1319 to 1321Seyyar Memur
3 entries
YearSalary
1901/02500
1902/03500
1903/04600
Aydın500 to 600
1904/05AH 1322Death recorded

Record

Personal

Born
1867/68 (AH 1284)
Community
Muslim (Müslüman)
Nationality as recorded
Turkish
Father's occupation
ketebe
Death recorded
1904/05 (AH 1322)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)
5 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
1895/96 (AH 1313)
First salary field (kuruş a month)
600

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 25 officials with entries in Aydın in the same years, Mehmet Ziya Efendi had the 13th highest salary.

All 117 officials with entries in Aydın

Same job title, same years

Of the 117 officials with the title Seyyar Memur in the same years, Mehmet Ziya Efendi had the 67th highest salary.

All 273 officials with the title Seyyar Memur

Same school

Of the 3,206 officials with Rüşdiye Mektebi among their schools, 3,200 have a recorded salary; Mehmet Ziya Efendi had the 852nd highest salary of them.

All 3,206 officials with Rüşdiye Mektebi

Same birthplace

Of the 1,999 officials born in Istanbul, 1,997 have a recorded salary; Mehmet Ziya Efendi had the 789th highest salary of them.

The page of Istanbul, with the 1,999 officials born there

First annual entry in the same year

Of the 140 officials whose first annual entry is for 1900/01 (AH 1318), 139 have a recorded salary; Mehmet Ziya Efendi had the 21st highest salary of them.

Full record

Annual entries (4)

Annual entries of Mehmet Ziya Efendi
YearTitlePlaceKuruş a monthInstitutionSourceArchive reference
1900/01AH 1318Seyyar MemurThessaloniki (Selanik)600Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)Recovered annual personnel extract121-108-211
1901/02AH 1319Seyyar MemurAydın500Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)Recovered annual personnel extract121-108-211
1902/03AH 1320Seyyar MemurAydın500Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)Recovered annual personnel extract121-108-211
1903/04AH 1321Seyyar MemurAydın600Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)Recovered annual personnel extract121-108-211
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)

Recorded values of Mehmet Ziya Efendi with their sources
FieldRecorded valueSource
Identity
NameMehmet Ziya EfendiPersonnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
Birth year (AH)1284Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
BirthplacedersaadetRecovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
Province of birthdersaadetRecovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
Father's occupationketebeRecovered 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)5Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
First work
First work: year (AH)1313Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
First work: Gregorian year as stored1895Recovered annual personnel extract
First work: placeistanbulRecovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
First salary field (kuruş a month)600Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
Status
Death recorded under the year (AH)1322Earlier 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.
  • 4 annual entries of 4 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