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Ottoman BureaucracyPeople, places and careers in Ottoman public service

Official

Mehmet Tevfik Efendi

Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Izmir (İzmir) in 1867/68 (AH 1284). On record 1902 to 1907, 5 annual entries.

Life

Mehmet Tevfik Efendi was born in Izmir (İzmir) in 1867/68 (AH 1284) into the Muslim (Müslüman) community; the father was a district governor or lieutenant colonel (kaymakam). Schooling took seven years, at a middle school (Rüşdiye Mektebi); Mehmet Tevfik also wrote Turkish and spoke Arabic and Greek (Rum).

At about 31, in 1898/99, Mehmet Tevfik began work in Istanbul, with four unpaid years as a mülazım (apprentice) before a first salary of 50 kuruş. Of the 5,128 officials whose age at first work is known, fewer than 3 per cent started at 31 or older. From the first annual entry, for 1902/03, to 1906/07, every annual entry places Mehmet Tevfik in the same post, communications official (Muhabere Memuru), in Istanbul.

The salary went from 80 kuruş a month in 1902/03 to 150 in 1906/07, the peak, as Muhabere Memuru in Istanbul, when 6 per cent of paid officials earned less. Over five years the salaries add up to 5,640 kuruş, 20 per cent of what an official on the median salary earned. The final annual entry is for 1906/07.

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
1898/9912IzmirIstanbul
  1. Izmir (İzmir)

    Born 1867/68 (AH 1284)

  2. Istanbul (Dersaadet)

    First work 1898/99 (AH 1316); 1902 to 1907 (AH 1320 to 1324)

    Muhabere Memuru

    80 to 150 kuruş a month; entries in 5 years

Career and salary

All years
Monthly salary by year, kuruşsalary of the yearyears with one job titleno annual entry
0501001501902/03AH 13201903/04AH 13211904/05AH 13221905/06AH 13231906/07AH 1324150 kuruşMuhabere Memuru
Salary against the medians of the same year
501002005001902/03AH 13201903/04AH 13211904/05AH 13221905/06AH 13231906/07AH 1324This 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 Mehmet Tevfik Efendi against the medians of the same year, kuruş a month
YearSalaryMedian, all officialsMedian, same titleMedian, same provincePaid less
1902/03805003804501%
1903/04804753504501%
1904/05804503504501%
1905/06804753304251%
1906/071504503004706%

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 Tevfik Efendi, one row per stage
YearsTitlePlaceSalary (kuruş a month)
1898/99AH 1316First workIstanbul (Dersaadet)50first-salary field
1902 to 1907AH 1320 to 1324Muhabere Memuru
5 entries
YearSalary
1902/0380
1903/0480
1904/0580
1905/0680
1906/07150
Istanbul (Dersaadet)80 to 150

Record

Personal

Born
1867/68 (AH 1284)
Birthplace
Izmir (İzmir)
Community
Muslim (Müslüman)
Nationality as recorded
Turkish
Father's occupation
Kaymakam

Education

Rüşdiye
Rüşdiye Mektebi (7 years)rüşdiye school (middle school)
Unpaid years (mülazemet)
4 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

Arabic
Tekellumspeaking
Greek (Rum)
Tekellumspeaking. Rum is the word of the records for Greek as spoken by the Orthodox Christians of the empire. It is kept apart from the column Greek, which the records also have
Turkish
Kitabetwriting

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

First work

Year
1898/99 (AH 1316)
First salary field (kuruş a month)
50

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 136 officials who held Muhabere Memuru in Istanbul in the same years, Mehmet Tevfik Efendi had the 105th highest salary.

Same place, same years

Of the 808 officials with entries in Istanbul in the same years, Mehmet Tevfik Efendi had the 672nd highest salary.

All 1,750 officials with entries in Istanbul

Same job title, same years

Of the 1,340 officials with the title Muhabere Memuru in the same years, Mehmet Tevfik Efendi had the 1,280th 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; Mehmet Tevfik Efendi had the 2,922nd highest salary of them.

All 3,206 officials with Rüşdiye Mektebi

Same birthplace

Of the 62 officials born in Izmir (İzmir), Mehmet Tevfik Efendi had the 59th highest salary.

The page of Izmir (İzmir), with the 62 officials born there

First annual entry in the same year

Of the 168 officials whose first annual entry is for 1902/03 (AH 1320), Mehmet Tevfik Efendi had the 140th highest salary.

Full record

Annual entries (5)

Annual entries of Mehmet Tevfik Efendi
YearTitlePlaceKuruş a monthInstitutionSourceArchive reference
1902/03AH 1320Muhabere MemuruIstanbul (Dersaadet)80Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)Recovered annual personnel extract120-98-191
1903/04AH 1321Muhabere MemuruIstanbul (Dersaadet)80Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)Recovered annual personnel extract120-98-191
1904/05AH 1322Muhabere MemuruIstanbul (Dersaadet)80Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)Recovered annual personnel extract120-98-191
1905/06AH 1323Muhabere MemuruIstanbul (Dersaadet)80Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)Recovered annual personnel extract120-98-191
1906/07AH 1324Muhabere MemuruIstanbul (Dersaadet)150Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)Recovered annual personnel extract120-98-191
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 Mehmet Tevfik Efendi with their sources
FieldRecorded valueSource
Identity
NameMehmet Tevfik EfendiPersonnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
Birth year (AH)1284Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
BirthplaceizmirRecovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
Province of birthaydinRecovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
Father's occupationkaymakamRecovered 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)4Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
First work
First work: year (AH)1316Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
First work: Gregorian year as stored1898Recovered annual personnel extract
First work: placeistanbulRecovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
First salary field (kuruş a month)50Recovered 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.
  • 4 annual entries of 5 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