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Ottoman BureaucracyPeople, places and careers in Ottoman public service

Official

Mehmet Şerif Efendi

Muslim (Müslüman). Born in Nablus in 1882/83 (AH 1300). On record 1904 to 1906, 2 annual entries.

Archive reference 0157_0175; 345

Compare Mehmet Şerif Efendi with other officials

Life

Born in Nablus in 1882/83 (AH 1300) into the Muslim (Müslüman) community, Mehmet Şerif Efendi was the child of a tradesman (esnaf). Mehmet Şerif had nine years of schooling, at a preparatory secondary school (İdadi Mektebi), wrote Arabic, French and Turkish, and held a qualification (a diploma, certificate, training or decoration).

Work began in Nablus in 1903/04, at about 20, with one unpaid year as a mülazım (apprentice) before a first salary of 300 kuruş. The annual lists begin in 1904/05, with Mehmet Şerif as a postal official (Posta Memuru) in Jerusalem (Kudüs). The last post was in Gaza (Gazze) in 1905/06, with a rise to official for foreign communications (Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti).

Pay rose from 300 kuruş a month in 1904/05 to a peak of 340 in 1905/06, as Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti in Gaza, when one in three paid officials earned less. The final 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 3 stops
birthplaceplace of annual entriesmove, with the year of the first entry there
1904/051905/06123NablusJerusalemGaza

  1. Nablus

    Born 1882/83 (AH 1300); First work 1903/04 (AH 1321)

  2. Jerusalem (Kudüs)

    1904/05 (AH 1322)

    Posta Memuru

    300 kuruş a month; entries in 1 year

  3. Gaza (Gazze)

    1905/06 (AH 1323)

    Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti

    340 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
01002003004001904/05AH 13221905/06AH 1323340 kuruşPosta MemuruMuhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti
Salary against the medians of the same year
2005001904/05AH 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 Mehmet Şerif Efendi against the medians of the same year, kuruş a month
YearSalaryMedian, all officialsMedian, same titleMedian, same provincePaid less
1904/0530045040040023%
1905/0634047544532032%

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 Şerif Efendi, one row per stage
YearsTitlePlaceSalary (kuruş a month)
1903/04AH 1321First workNablus300first-salary field
1904/05AH 1322Posta MemuruJerusalem (Kudüs)300
1905/06AH 1323Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye MemuriyetiGaza (Gazze)340

Record

Personal

Born
1882/83 (AH 1300)
Birthplace
Nablus
Community
Muslim (Müslüman)
Nationality as recorded
Turkish
Father's occupation
Esnaf

Education

Idadi
İdadi Mektebi (9 years)idadi school (preparatory secondary school)
Unpaid years (mülazemet)
1 year
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

Arabic
Kitabetwriting
French
Kitabetwriting
Turkish
Kitabetwriting

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

First work

Year
1903/04 (AH 1321)
Place
Nablus
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 2 officials who held Posta Memuru in Jerusalem (Kudüs) in the same years, Mehmet Şerif Efendi had the lowest salary.

  • Nuh Efendi1 shared year; highest salary 400 kuruş

Same place, same years

Of the 10 officials with entries in Jerusalem (Kudüs) in the same years, Mehmet Şerif Efendi had the 7th highest salary.

All 53 officials with entries in Jerusalem (Kudüs)

Same job title, same years

Of the 68 officials with the title Posta Memuru in the same years, Mehmet Şerif Efendi had the 51st highest salary.

All 467 officials with the title Posta Memuru

Same school

Of the 136 officials with İdadi Mektebi among their schools, Mehmet Şerif Efendi had the 55th highest salary.

All 136 officials with İdadi Mektebi

Same birthplace

Of the 7 officials born in Nablus, Mehmet Şerif Efendi had the 6th highest salary.

The page of Nablus, with the 7 officials born there

First annual entry in the same year

Of the 120 officials whose first annual entry is for 1904/05 (AH 1322), Mehmet Şerif Efendi had the 37th highest salary.

All 120 officials whose first annual entry is for 1904/05 (AH 1322)

Full record

Annual entries (2)

Annual entries of Mehmet Şerif Efendi
YearTitlePlaceKuruş a monthInstitutionSourceArchive reference
1904/05AH 1322Posta MemuruJerusalem (Kudüs)300Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)Recovered annual personnel extract0157_0175; 345
1905/06AH 1323Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye MemuriyetiGaza (Gazze)340Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)Recovered annual personnel extract0157_0175; 345
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 Şerif Efendi with their sources
FieldRecorded valueSource
Identity
NameMehmet Şerif EfendiPersonnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
Birth year (AH)1300Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
BirthplacenablusRecovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
Province of birthbeyrutRecovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
Father's occupationEsnafRecovered 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
Schoolidadi MektebiRecovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
Years of schooling9Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
Years of apprenticeship (mülazemet)1Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
First work
First work: year (AH)1321Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract
First work: Gregorian year as stored1903Recovered annual personnel extract
First work: placeNablusRecovered 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.
  • 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