Skip to content
Ottoman BureaucracyPeople, places and careers in Ottoman public service

Official

Mahmut Hamdi Bey

Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Istanbul (Dersaadet) in 1867/68 (AH 1284). On record 1890 to 1906, 11 annual entries.

Archive reference 0099_0056; 109

Compare Mahmut Hamdi Bey with other officials

Life

Mahmut Hamdi Bey was born in Istanbul in 1867/68 (AH 1284) into the Muslim (Müslüman) community; the father was a medrese teacher (müderris). At about 23, in 1890/91, Mahmut Hamdi began work in Istanbul, paid from the start, on 300 kuruş a month. The first annual entry, for 1890/91, places Mahmut Hamdi in Istanbul, the birthplace, in the Muhendis Kalemi, where the entries run to 1897/98, with a rise to Muhendis Kalemi Basmemur in 1895/96. The last posts were in Beirut (Beyrut) and Hicaz from 1898 to 1902 and Kosova in 1905/06, with a rise to inspector (Müfettiş) in 1898/99. The farthest post, Hicaz, lay about 2,400 km from Istanbul, and fewer than 4 per cent of the 5,162 officials with a known birthplace and place of service served as far from the birthplace.

Pay rose from 300 kuruş a month in 1890/91 to a peak of 2,000 in 1905/06, as Müfettiş in Kosova, when 95 per cent of paid officials earned less. In all, 11 years of salary come to 159,960 kuruş, 2.4 times what an official on the median salary earned in those years, a level reached by fewer than 7 per cent of the 3,805 officials paid for five years or more. The last annual entry is for 1905/06.

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 4 stops
birthplaceplace of annual entriesmove, with the year of the first entry there
1898/991900/011905/061234IstanbulBeirutHicazKosova

  1. Istanbul (Dersaadet)

    Born 1867/68 (AH 1284); First work 1890/91 (AH 1308); 1890 to 1898 (AH 1308 to 1315)

    Muhendis Kalemi 1890 to 1895 (AH 1308 to 1312); Muhendis Kalemi Basmemur 1895 to 1898 (AH 1313 to 1315)

    300 to 800 kuruş a month; entries in 6 years

    No annual entry for 1891 to 1893 (AH 1309 to 1310).

  2. Beirut (Beyrut)

    1898 to 1900 (AH 1316 to 1317)

    Müfettiş

    1,800 kuruş a month; entries in 2 years

  3. Hicaz

    1900 to 1902 (AH 1318 to 1319)

    Müfettiş

    1,800 kuruş a month; entries in 2 years

  4. Kosova

    1905/06 (AH 1323)

    No annual entry for 1902 to 1905 (AH 1320 to 1322) before it.

    Müfettiş

    2,000 kuruş a month; entries in 1 year

Career and salary

All years
Monthly salary by year, kuruşsalary of the yearyears with one job titleno annual entry
no entryno entry05001,0001,5002,0001890/91AH 13081891/92AH 13091892/93AH 13101893/94AH 13111894/95AH 13121895/96AH 13131896/97AH 13141897/98AH 13151898/99AH 13161899/1900AH 13171900/01AH 13181901/02AH 13191902/03AH 13201903/04AH 13211904/05AH 13221905/06AH 13232,000 kuruşMuhendis KalemiMuhendis Kalemi BasmemurMüfettiş
Salary against the medians of the same year
1002005001,0002,0001890/91AH 13081891/92AH 13091892/93AH 13101893/94AH 13111894/95AH 13121895/96AH 13131896/97AH 13141897/98AH 13151898/99AH 13161899/1900AH 13171900/01AH 13181901/02AH 13191902/03AH 13201903/04AH 13211904/05AH 13221905/06AH 1323This officialMedian, all officialsMedian, same titleMedian, same province

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
Salary of Mahmut Hamdi Bey against the medians of the same year, kuruş a month
YearSalaryMedian, all officialsMedian, same titleMedian, same provincePaid less
1890/9130050010050015%
1893/9475050040048076%
1894/9575050050045076%
1895/9680050044080%
1896/9776550042585%
1897/9876550042585%
1898/991,8005001,80050096%
1899/19001,8005001,80050096%
1900/011,8005001,80080095%
1901/021,8005001,80080095%
1905/062,0004752,00040095%

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 Mahmut Hamdi Bey, one row per stage
YearsTitlePlaceSalary (kuruş a month)
1890/91AH 1308First workIstanbul (Dersaadet)300first-salary field
1890/91AH 1308Muhendis KalemiIstanbul (Dersaadet)300
No annual entry: 1891 to 1893 (AH 1309 to 1310)
1893 to 1895AH 1311 to 1312Muhendis Kalemi
2 entries
YearSalary
1893/94750
1894/95750
Istanbul (Dersaadet)750
1895 to 1898AH 1313 to 1315Muhendis Kalemi Basmemur
3 entries
YearSalary
1895/96800
1896/97765
1897/98765
Istanbul (Dersaadet)800 to 765
1898 to 1900AH 1316 to 1317Müfettiş
2 entries
YearSalary
1898/991,800
1899/19001,800
Beirut (Beyrut)1,800
1900 to 1902AH 1318 to 1319Müfettiş
2 entries
YearSalary
1900/011,800
1901/021,800
Hicaz1,800
No annual entry: 1902 to 1905 (AH 1320 to 1322)
1905/06AH 1323MüfettişKosova2,000

Record

Personal

Born
1867/68 (AH 1284)
Community
Muslim (Müslüman)
Nationality as recorded
Turkish
Father's occupation
Muderris

Education

Higher or professional
Mülkiye Mektebi (14 years)School of Civil Administration
Unpaid years (mülazemet)
0 years
Preparation route (classification of the paper)
Other High
Qualification (diploma, certificate, training or nişan)
Yes

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

Languages

French
Kitabetwriting
Turkish
Kitabetwriting

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

First work

Year
1890/91 (AH 1308)
First salary field (kuruş a month)
300

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 13 officials who held Muhendis Kalemi in Istanbul in the same years, Mahmut Hamdi Bey had the 4th highest salary.

Same place, same years

Of the 820 officials with entries in Istanbul in the same years, Mahmut Hamdi Bey had the 84th highest salary.

All 1,750 officials with entries in Istanbul

Same job title, same years

Of the 23 officials with the title Müfettiş in the same years, Mahmut Hamdi Bey had the 13th highest salary.

All 109 officials with the title Müfettiş

Same school

Of the 26 officials with Mülkiye Mektebi among their schools, Mahmut Hamdi Bey had the 4th highest salary.

All 26 officials with Mülkiye Mektebi

Same birthplace

Of the 1,999 officials born in Istanbul, 1,997 have a recorded salary; Mahmut Hamdi Bey had the 139th highest salary of them.

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

First annual entry in the same year

Of the 102 officials whose first annual entry is for 1890/91 (AH 1308), Mahmut Hamdi Bey had the 3rd highest salary.

Full record

Annual entries (11)

Annual entries of Mahmut Hamdi Bey
YearTitlePlaceKuruş a monthInstitutionSourceArchive reference
1890/91AH 1308Muhendis KalemiIstanbul (Dersaadet)300Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)Recovered annual personnel extract0099_0056; 109
1893/94AH 1311Muhendis KalemiIstanbul (Dersaadet)750Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)Recovered annual personnel extract0099_0056; 109
1894/95AH 1312Muhendis KalemiIstanbul (Dersaadet)750Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)Recovered annual personnel extract0099_0056; 109
1895/96AH 1313Muhendis Kalemi BasmemurIstanbul (Dersaadet)800Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)Recovered annual personnel extract0099_0056; 109
1896/97AH 1314Muhendis Kalemi BasmemurIstanbul (Dersaadet)765Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)Recovered annual personnel extract0099_0056; 109
1897/98AH 1315Muhendis Kalemi BasmemurIstanbul (Dersaadet)765Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)Recovered annual personnel extract0099_0056; 109
1898/99AH 1316MüfettişBeirut (Beyrut)1,800Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)Recovered annual personnel extract0099_0056; 109
1899/1900AH 1317MüfettişBeirut (Beyrut)1,800Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)Recovered annual personnel extract0099_0056; 109
1900/01AH 1318MüfettişHicaz1,800Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)Recovered annual personnel extract0099_0056; 109
1901/02AH 1319MüfettişHicaz1,800Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)Recovered annual personnel extract0099_0056; 109
1905/06AH 1323MüfettişKosova2,000Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)Recovered annual personnel extract0099_0056; 109
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 Mahmut Hamdi Bey with their sources
FieldRecorded valueSource
Identity
NameMahmut Hamdi BeyPersonnel 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 occupationmuderrisRecovered 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
SchoolMulkiye MektebiRecovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
Years of schooling14Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
Years of apprenticeship (mülazemet)0Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
First work
First work: year (AH)1308Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
First work: Gregorian year as stored1891Recovered annual personnel extract
First work: placeistanbulRecovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
First salary field (kuruş a month)300Recovered 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.
  • 11 annual entries of 11 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