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Ottoman BureaucracyPeople, places and careers in Ottoman public service

Official

Mehmet Ali Efendi

Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Plovdiv (Filibe) in 1871/72 (AH 1288). On record 1894 to 1896, 2 annual entries. Death recorded 1896/97.

Archive reference 0068_0080; 157

Compare Mehmet Ali Efendi with other officials

Life

Mehmet Ali Efendi was born in Plovdiv (Filibe) in 1871/72 (AH 1288) into the Muslim (Müslüman) community. Schooling took 12 years, at Darüşşafaka, the school for orphans in Istanbul; Mehmet Ali also attended the telegraph school and held a qualification (a diploma, certificate, training or decoration). Mehmet Ali knew four languages, Arabic, French, Persian and Turkish, all in writing, a number reached by fewer than 5 per cent of the 5,211 officials.

Work began in Istanbul in 1894/95, at about 23, paid from the start, on 400 kuruş a month. The annual lists begin in 1894/95, with Mehmet Ali as an official for foreign communications (Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti) in Istanbul. In 1895/96 the lists place Mehmet Ali in Beyoğlu.

The salary never rose above the first in the lists, 400 kuruş a month in 1894/95, as Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti in Istanbul, when 30 per cent of paid officials earned less. After the last annual entry, for 1895/96, the list of 1896/97 (AH 1314) 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
birthplacefirst workplace of annual entriesmove, with the year of the first entry there
1894/95123PlovdivIstanbul, Beyoğlu

  1. Plovdiv (Filibe)

    Born 1871/72 (AH 1288)

  2. Istanbul (Dersaadet)

    First work 1894/95 (AH 1312); 1894/95 (AH 1312)

    Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti

    400 kuruş a month; entries in 1 year

  3. Beyoğlu

    1895/96 (AH 1313)

    Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti

    400 kuruş a month; entries in 1 year

  4. Death recorded in the annual list of 1896/97 (AH 1314): the word Vefat, not a date of death.

Career and salary

All years
Monthly salary by year, kuruşsalary of the yearyears with one job titleno annual entry
01002003004001894/95AH 13121895/96AH 1313400 kuruşMuhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti
Salary against the medians of the same year
2005001894/95AH 13121895/96AH 1313This 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 Ali Efendi against the medians of the same year, kuruş a month
YearSalaryMedian, all officialsMedian, same titleMedian, same provincePaid less
1894/9540050050045030%
1895/9640050050044030%

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 Ali Efendi, one row per stage
YearsTitlePlaceSalary (kuruş a month)
1894/95AH 1312First workIstanbul (Dersaadet)400first-salary field
1894/95AH 1312Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye MemuriyetiIstanbul (Dersaadet)400
1895/96AH 1313Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye MemuriyetiBeyoğlu400
1896/97AH 1314Death recorded

Record

Personal

Born
1871/72 (AH 1288)
Community
Muslim (Müslüman)
Nationality as recorded
Turkish
Death recorded
1896/97 (AH 1314)the year of the annual list with the word Vefat, not a date of death

Education

Darüşşafaka
Darüşşafaka (12 years)Darüşşafaka (school for orphans in Istanbul)
Higher or professional
Telgraf Mektebitelegraph school; recorded as a code
Unpaid years (mülazemet)
0 years
Preparation route (classification of the paper)
Darüşşafaka
Qualification (diploma, certificate, training or nişan)
Yes

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

Languages

Arabic
Kitabetwriting
French
Kitabetwriting
Persian
Kitabetwriting
Turkish
Kitabetwriting

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

First work

Year
1894/95 (AH 1312)
First salary field (kuruş a month)
400

Legal records

Years (AH) with a criminal-record mark in the annual records
1312

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 Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti in Istanbul in the same years, Mehmet Ali Efendi had the 11th highest salary.

Same place, same years

Of the 553 officials with entries in Istanbul in the same years, Mehmet Ali Efendi had the 429th highest salary.

All 1,750 officials with entries in Istanbul

Same job title, same years

Of the 226 officials with the title Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti in the same years, Mehmet Ali Efendi had the 189th highest salary.

All 605 officials with the title Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti

Same school

Of the 203 officials with Darüşşafaka among their schools, Mehmet Ali Efendi had the 116th highest salary.

All 203 officials with Darüşşafaka

Same birthplace

Of the 43 officials born in Plovdiv (Filibe), 41 have a recorded salary; Mehmet Ali Efendi had the 23rd highest salary of them.

The page of Plovdiv (Filibe), with the 43 officials born there

First annual entry in the same year

Of the 173 officials whose first annual entry is for 1894/95 (AH 1312), Mehmet Ali Efendi had the 97th highest salary.

All 173 officials whose first annual entry is for 1894/95 (AH 1312)

Full record

Annual entries (2)

Annual entries of Mehmet Ali Efendi
YearTitlePlaceKuruş a monthInstitutionSourceArchive reference
1894/95AH 1312Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye MemuriyetiIstanbul (Dersaadet)400Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)Recovered annual personnel extract0068_0080; 157
1895/96AH 1313Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye MemuriyetiBeyoğlu400Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)Recovered annual personnel extract0068_0080; 157
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 (16)

Recorded values of Mehmet Ali Efendi with their sources
FieldRecorded valueSource
Identity
NameMehmet Ali EfendiPersonnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
Birth year (AH)1288Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
BirthplacefilibeRecovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
Province of birthrumeli sarkiRecovered 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
SchoolDarussafakaRecovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
Years of schooling12Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
Telegraph school (recorded code)1Recovered annual personnel 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)1312Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
First work: Gregorian year as stored1894Recovered annual personnel extract
First work: placeistanbulRecovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
First salary field (kuruş a month)400Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
Legal records
Years (AH) with a criminal-record mark in the annual records1312Later annual personnel extract
Status
Death recorded under the year (AH)1314Earlier 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.
Later annual personnel extract
The detailed annual personnel file of October 2025. It marks single annual entries with a criminal-record flag and holds status words such as Vefat. For a death, the year is the year of the annual list in which the status word stands.
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 2 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