Official
Musa Efendi
Maronite Christian (Maruni). Born in Nazareth (Nasıra) in 1870/71 (AH 1287). On record 1890 to 1904, 14 annual entries.
Archive reference 0065_0223; 443
Life#
Born in Nazareth (Nasıra) in 1870/71 (AH 1287) into the Maronite Christian (Maruni) community, Musa Efendi was the child of a merchant (tüccar). Musa had four years of schooling, at a community school (Millet Mektebi). In all Musa knew four languages, Arabic, French, Italian and Turkish, all in writing; fewer than 5 per cent of the 5,211 officials knew as many.
At about 16, in 1886/87, Musa began work in Nazareth, with four unpaid years as a mülazım (apprentice) before a first salary of 400 kuruş. The annual lists begin in 1890/91, with Musa as a postal official (Posta Memuru) in Hamidiye. Musa then moved to Merican, Latakia (Lazkiye) and Jerusalem (Kudüs) from 1891 to 1896, with a rise to communications official (Muhabere Memuru) in 1893/94, then Gaza (Gazze) from 1896 to 1903, with a rise to official for foreign communications (Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti). The last post was in Beirut (Beyrut) in 1903/04.
The salary never rose above the first in the lists, 400 kuruş a month in 1890/91, as Posta Memuru in Hamidiye, when 28 per cent of paid officials earned less. Over 14 years pay ended where it began, at 400 kuruş. In all, 14 years of salary come to 58,080 kuruş, 69 per cent of what an official on the median salary earned in those years. The final annual entry is for 1903/04.
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 1870/71 (AH 1287); First work 1886/87 (AH 1304)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1890/91 | 400 | 500 | 380 | 28% |
| 1891/92 | 400 | 500 | 400 | 29% |
| 1892/93 | 300 | 500 | 350 | 17% |
| 1893/94 | 320 | 500 | 400 | 23% |
| 1894/95 | 320 | 500 | 400 | 23% |
| 1895/96 | 320 | 500 | 400 | 24% |
| 1896/97 | 340 | 500 | 495 | 26% |
| 1897/98 | 340 | 500 | 480 | 26% |
| 1898/99 | 340 | 500 | 495 | 26% |
| 1899/1900 | 340 | 500 | 500 | 25% |
| 1900/01 | 340 | 500 | 500 | 25% |
| 1901/02 | 340 | 500 | 480 | 27% |
| 1902/03 | 340 | 500 | 400 | 29% |
| 1903/04 | 400 | 475 | 450 | 36% |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1886/87AH 1304 | First work | Nazareth (Nasıra) | 400first-salary field |
| 1890/91AH 1308 | Posta Memuru | Hamidiye | 400 |
| 1891/92AH 1309 | Muhabere Memuru | Merican | 400 |
| 1892/93AH 1310 | Posta Memuru | Latakia (Lazkiye) | 300 |
| 1893 to 1896AH 1311 to 1313 | Muhabere Memuru | Jerusalem (Kudüs) | 320 |
| 1896 to 1903AH 1314 to 1320 | Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti | Gaza (Gazze) | 340 |
| 1903/04AH 1321 | Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti | Beirut (Beyrut) | 400 |
Record#
Personal
- Born
- 1870/71 (AH 1287)
- Birthplace
- Nazareth (Nasıra)
- Community
- Maronite Christian (Maruni)
- Nationality as recorded
- Maruni
- Father's occupation
- Tuccar
Education
- Community school
- Millet Mektebi (4 years)community school (school of a non-Muslim community)
- Unpaid years (mülazemet)
- 4 years
- Preparation route (classification of the paper)
- Low
- Qualification (diploma, certificate, training or nişan)
- NoShown as in the flag of the paper. The qualification column of the recovered extract gives yes.
The years count all schooling up to that school, as the record gives them.
Languages
- Arabic
- Kitabetwriting
- French
- Kitabetwriting
- Italian
- Kitabetwriting
- Turkish
- Kitabetwriting
The glosses are cautious historical readings of the recorded words, not modern levels of proficiency.
First work
- Year
- 1886/87 (AH 1304)
- Place
- Nazareth (Nasıra)
- First salary field (kuruş a month)
- 400
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 9 officials with entries in Gaza (Gazze) in the same years, Musa Efendi had the 7th highest salary.
- Unnamed official (0100_0023; 43)5 shared years; highest salary 900 kuruş
- Karnik Efendi5 shared years; highest salary 600 kuruş
- Mişel Mihail Nahle(?) Efendi4 shared years; highest salary 900 kuruş
- Yusuf Timur Efendi3 shared years; highest salary 400 kuruş
- Anton Abud Efendi3 shared years; highest salary 250 kuruş
Same job title, same years
Of the 326 officials with the title Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti in the same years, Musa Efendi had the 246th highest salary.
- Hüseyin Azmi Efendi8 shared years; highest salary 2,250 kuruş
- Israti Efendi8 shared years; highest salary 1,500 kuruş
- Melkon Berhadar Efendi8 shared years; highest salary 1,500 kuruş
- Ahmet Nurettin Efendi8 shared years; highest salary 1,300 kuruş
- Garon Efendi8 shared years; highest salary 1,300 kuruş
All 605 officials with the title Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti
Same school
Of the 263 officials with Millet Mektebi among their schools, Musa Efendi had the 168th highest salary.
- Abdullah Hıtar Efendiborn 1870/71 (AH 1287); highest salary 550 kuruş
- Agop Efendiborn 1870/71 (AH 1287); highest salary 300 kuruş
- Begos Efendiborn 1870/71 (AH 1287); highest salary 140 kuruş
- Sepoh Basmacıyan Efendiborn 1870/71 (AH 1287); highest salary 280 kuruş
- Serkiz Efendiborn 1870/71 (AH 1287); highest salary 600 kuruş
Same birthplace
Of the 2 officials born in Nazareth (Nasıra), Musa Efendi had the highest salary.
- Behçet Cenavi Efendiborn 1878 (AH 1295); highest salary 340 kuruş
The page of Nazareth (Nasıra), with the 2 officials born there
First annual entry in the same year
Of the 102 officials whose first annual entry is for 1890/91 (AH 1308), Musa Efendi had the 75th highest salary.
- Abdullah Hıtar Efendifirst entry in Tiberias (Taberiye); highest salary 550 kuruş
- Ahmet Nuri Efendifirst entry in Bursa; highest salary 400 kuruş
- Ahmet Refik Efendifirst entry in Istanbul; highest salary 500 kuruş
- Hasan Tahsin Efendifirst entry in Eleşkirt; highest salary 500 kuruş
- İsmail Nuri Efendifirst entry in Vize; highest salary 600 kuruş
Full record
Annual entries (14)
| Year | Title | Place | Kuruş a month | Institution | Source | Archive reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1890/91AH 1308 | Posta Memuru | Hamidiye | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0223; 443 |
| 1891/92AH 1309 | Muhabere Memuru | Merican | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0223; 443 |
| 1892/93AH 1310 | Posta Memuru | Latakia (Lazkiye) | 300 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0223; 443 |
| 1893/94AH 1311 | Muhabere Memuru | Jerusalem (Kudüs) | 320 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0223; 443 |
| 1894/95AH 1312 | Muhabere Memuru | Jerusalem (Kudüs) | 320 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0223; 443 |
| 1895/96AH 1313 | Muhabere Memuru | Jerusalem (Kudüs) | 320 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0223; 443 |
| 1896/97AH 1314 | Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti | Gaza (Gazze) | 340 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0223; 443 |
| 1897/98AH 1315 | Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti | Gaza (Gazze) | 340 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0223; 443 |
| 1898/99AH 1316 | Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti | Gaza (Gazze) | 340 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0223; 443 |
| 1899/1900AH 1317 | Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti | Gaza (Gazze) | 340 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0223; 443 |
| 1900/01AH 1318 | Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti | Gaza (Gazze) | 340 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0223; 443 |
| 1901/02AH 1319 | Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti | Gaza (Gazze) | 340 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0223; 443 |
| 1902/03AH 1320 | Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti | Gaza (Gazze) | 340 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0223; 443 |
| 1903/04AH 1321 | Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti | Beirut (Beyrut) | 400 | Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf) | Recovered annual personnel extract | 0065_0223; 443 |
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 | Musa Efendi | Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birth year (AH) | 1287 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Birthplace | nasira | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Province of birth | beyrut | 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 | Hristiyan | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Nationality or community | Maruni | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| Schooling | ||
| School | Millet Mektebi | 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) | 4 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work | ||
| First work: year (AH) | 1304 | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First work: Gregorian year as stored | 1887 | Recovered annual personnel extract |
| First work: place | Nasira | Recovered annual personnel extract; Personnel attributes extract; Earlier annual personnel extract |
| First salary field (kuruş a month) | 400 | 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.
- 14 annual entries of 14 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
- Musa Efendi
- Post of official for foreign communications (Muhaberat-ı Ecnebiye Memuriyeti)
- Gaza (Gazze)
- Nazareth (Nasıra)
- Community school (Millet Mektebi)
- Post and Telegraph (Posta ve Telgraf)
- Maronite Christian (Maruni)
- 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)