Official
Fethi Zağbi Efendi
Syriac Christian (Süryani). Born in Aleppo (Halep) in 1861/62 (AH 1278). On record 1885 to 1895, 10 annual entries.
Archive reference 0099_0040; 77
Life#
Born in Aleppo (Halep) in 1861/62 (AH 1278), Fethi Zağbi Efendi came from the Syriac Christian (Süryani) community; the father was a merchant (tüccar). Schooling took four years, at a special school (Mekteb-i Mahsusa); Fethi Zağbi also wrote Arabic as well as Turkish and held a qualification (a diploma, certificate, training or decoration).
At about 22, in 1883/84, Fethi Zağbi began work in Mosul (Musul), with two unpaid years as a mülazım (apprentice) before a first salary of 250 kuruş. The annual lists begin in 1885/86, with Fethi Zağbi as an official for foreign communications (Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti) in Mosul. Fethi Zağbi then moved to Kirkuk (Kerkük), Mosul and Diyarbakır from 1886 to 1889, then back to Mosul from 1889 to 1893. The last posts were in Al-Faw (Fav) from 1893 to 1895.
The salary went from 250 kuruş a month in 1885/86 to 760 in 1893/94, the peak, as Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti in Al-Faw, when four in five paid officials earned less. The last annual entry is for 1894/95.
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.
Born 1861/62 (AH 1278)
First work 1883/84 (AH 1301); 1885/86 (AH 1303)
Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti
250 kuruş a month; entries in 1 year
Career and salary#
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
| Year | Salary | Median, all officials | Median, same title | Paid less |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1885/86 | 250 | 500 | 500 | 6% |
| 1886/87 | 400 | 500 | 500 | 27% |
| 1887/88 | 250 | 500 | 500 | 7% |
| 1888/89 | 400 | 500 | 500 | 27% |
| 1889/90 | 500 | 500 | 500 | 42% |
| 1890/91 | 500 | 500 | 500 | 43% |
| 1891/92 | 500 | 500 | 500 | 43% |
| 1892/93 | 500 | 500 | 500 | 44% |
| 1893/94 | 760 | 500 | 500 | 79% |
| 1894/95 | 760 | 500 | 500 | 79% |
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.
| Years | Title | Place | Salary (kuruş a month) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1883/84AH 1301 | First work | Mosul (Musul) | 250first-salary field |
| 1885/86AH 1303 | Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti | Mosul (Musul) | 250 |
| 1886/87AH 1304 | Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti | Kirkuk (Kerkük) | 400 |
| 1887/88AH 1305 | Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti | Mosul (Musul) | 250 |
| 1888/89AH 1306 | Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti | Diyarbakır | 400 |
| 1889 to 1893AH 1307 to 1310 | Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti | Mosul (Musul) | 500 |
| 1893 to 1895AH 1311 to 1312 | Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti | Al-Faw (Fav) | 760 |
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1861/62 (AH 1278)
- Birthplace
- Aleppo (Halep)
- Community
- Syriac Christian (Süryani)
- Nationality as recorded
- Suryani
- Father's occupation
- Tuccar
Education
- Other named school
- Mekteb-i Mahsusa (4 years)special school
- Unpaid years (mülazemet)
- 2 years
- Preparation route (classification of the paper)
- Low
- Qualification (diploma, certificate, training or nişan)
- Yes
The years count all schooling up to that school, as the record gives them.
Languages
- Arabic
- Kitabetwriting
- Turkish
- Kitabetwriting
The glosses are cautious historical readings of the recorded words, not modern levels of proficiency.
First work
- Year
- 1883/84 (AH 1301)
- Place
- Mosul (Musul)
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 250
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 23 officials with entries in Mosul (Musul) in the same years, Fethi Zağbi Efendi had the 12th highest salary.
- Cemil Efendi6 shared years; highest salary 570 kuruş
- Emin Şevket Efendi4 shared years; highest salary 800 kuruş
- İbrahim Edip Efendi4 shared years; highest salary 800 kuruş
- Mehmed Muhlis Efendi4 shared years; highest salary 575 kuruş
- Musa Kazim Efendi3 shared years; highest salary 5,000 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 255 officials with the title Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti in the same years, Fethi Zağbi Efendi had the 109th highest salary.
- Israti Efendi10 shared years; highest salary 1,500 kuruş
- Melkon Berhadar Efendi10 shared years; highest salary 1,500 kuruş
- Unnamed official (0049_0040; 77)10 shared years; highest salary 1,350 kuruş
- Mehmet Rıfat Efendi10 shared years; highest salary 1,250 kuruş
- Unnamed official (0067_0243; sayfa no:483.)10 shared years; highest salary 1,250 kuruş
All 605 officials with the title Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti
Same school
Of the 38 officials with Mekteb-i Mahsusa among their schools, Fethi Zağbi Efendi had the 17th highest salary.
- Kayser Minir Efendiborn 1861/62 (AH 1278); highest salary 800 kuruş
- Reşit Efendiborn 1861/62 (AH 1278); highest salary 500 kuruş
- Fikri Efendiborn 1860/61 (AH 1277); highest salary 475 kuruş
- Selim Efendiborn 1860/61 (AH 1277); highest salary 600 kuruş
- Fransuva Efendiborn 1862/63 (AH 1279); highest salary 1,000 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 67 officials born in Aleppo (Halep), Fethi Zağbi Efendi had the 15th highest salary.
- Mehmet Vahit Sıtkı Efendiborn 1859/60 (AH 1276); highest salary 1,800 kuruş
- Edmun Efendiborn 1857/58 (AH 1274); highest salary 400 kuruş
- Mustafa Sabri Efendiborn 1857/58 (AH 1274); highest salary 700 kuruş
- Yanko Efendiborn 1865/66 (AH 1282); highest salary 825 kuruş
- Nuri Fehmi Efendiborn 1867/68 (AH 1284); highest salary 900 kuruş
The page of Aleppo (Halep), with the 67 officials born there
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 93 officials whose first annual entry is for 1885/86 (AH 1303), Fethi Zağbi Efendi had the 24th highest salary.
- Mehmet Kemal Efendifirst entry in Üsküdar; highest salary 500 kuruş
- Mehmet Niyazi Efendifirst entry in Neapoli (Nasliç); highest salary 1,650 kuruş
- Yosef Efendifirst entry in Baghdad (Bağdat); highest salary 600 kuruş
- Yusuf Efendifirst entry in Beirut (Beyrut); highest salary 640 kuruş
- İbrahim Neşet Beyfirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 240 kuruş
Full record
Annual entries (10)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1885/86AH 1303 | Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti | Mosul (Musul) | 250 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0099_0040; 77 |
| 1886/87AH 1304 | Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti | Kirkuk (Kerkük) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0099_0040; 77 |
| 1887/88AH 1305 | Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti | Mosul (Musul) | 250 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0099_0040; 77 |
| 1888/89AH 1306 | Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti | Diyarbakır | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0099_0040; 77 |
| 1889/90AH 1307 | Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti | Mosul (Musul) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0099_0040; 77 |
| 1890/91AH 1308 | Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti | Mosul (Musul) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0099_0040; 77 |
| 1891/92AH 1309 | Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti | Mosul (Musul) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0099_0040; 77 |
| 1892/93AH 1310 | Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti | Mosul (Musul) | 500 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0099_0040; 77 |
| 1893/94AH 1311 | Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti | Al-Faw (Fav) | 760 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0099_0040; 77 |
| 1894/95AH 1312 | Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti | Al-Faw (Fav) | 760 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0099_0040; 77 |
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)
| Field | Recorded value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Name | Fethi Zağbi Efendi | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birth year (AH) | 1278 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birthplace | halep | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Province of birth | halep | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Father's occupation | Tuccar | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Religion | Suryani | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Nationality or community | Suryani | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Schooling | ||
| School | Mektebi Mahsusa | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Years of schooling | 4 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Years of apprenticeship (mülazemet) | 2 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work | ||
| First work: year (AH) | 1301 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1884 | Recovered annual personnel extract |
| First work: place | Musul | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First salary field (kuruş a month) | 250 | Recovered 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.
- 10 annual entries of 10 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
- Fethi Zağbi Efendi
- Post of official for foreign communications (Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti)
- Mosul (Musul)
- Aleppo (Halep)
- Special school (Mekteb-i Mahsusa)
- Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)
- Syriac Christian (Süryani)
- Biography of an Ottoman official (Osmanlı memurunun biyografisi)
- Career and pay (memuriyet ve maaş)
- Ottoman history (Osmanlı tarihi)
- Ottoman bureaucracy (Osmanlı bürokrasisi)
- Ottoman officials (Osmanlı'da memurlar)
- Ottoman personnel registers (Sicill-i Ahvâl defterleri)
- Ottoman registers (Osmanlı defterleri)