Civil Service Record Of Ottoman Engineer 1912 Mehmed Fevzi Bey Empire Heraklion Trabzon

Sicill-i Ahval Record of Engineer Mehmed Fevzi Bey – Ottoman Civil Service Career and Engineering Service, 1912

Description:

This original Ottoman Turkish document is a formal Sicill-i Ahval Varakası (Civil Service Biographical and Career Record), headed “Me'murin ve Ketebe ve Müstahdeminin Tescil Olunan Tercüme-i Hallerinin Tahririne Mahsus Varakadır.” Such forms were used to officially record the biographical information, education, appointments, promotions, salaries, honours and professional service of Ottoman state officials. This particular record belongs to the engineer Mehmed Fevzi Bey and bears an Ottoman stamp dated 3 April 1328 (16 April 1912), together with official endorsements, stamps and seals.

Mehmed Fevzi Bey, the son of the late Arif Efendi of Kandiye (Heraklion), received his engineering education at the Hendese-i Mülkiye Mektebi, graduating with an “Âlâ” (Excellent) degree. His record documents a long and detailed professional career within the Ottoman state administration, including his appointments, promotions, salaries and successive engineering positions. He served within the Nafia ve Ticaret Nezareti (Ministry of Public Works and Commerce), including positions connected with chief engineering and water-supply and irrigation works.

The document also records several notable achievements and honours. While still a fourth-year student, Mehmed Fevzi Bey produced models and moulds of bridge and passage arches and presented them to the palace, for which he received the Silver Medal of Merit (Gümüş İftihar Madalyası). His later professional accomplishments and publications were also recognised with the Fourth Class Order of Osmaniye (Nişan-ı Osmanî). His career included service as inspector of the Kâğıthane Menâbi-i Suları (Kâğıthane Water Sources), where his work concerned the administration and maintenance of Istanbul's water resources.

One of the most significant entries concerns his assignment to Trabzon in 1912. He was sent to the region to determine the route of the water channel leading to Trabzon and to establish the appropriate method of construction, receiving a travel allowance of 4,410 kuruş for the assignment. The record also mentions his authorship and publication of technical works concerning construction, water distribution and irrigation, including “İnşaatın Ahval-i Umumiyesi,” “Tevzi-i Miyâh” and “Fenn-i Tefcir ve İrva.” His knowledge of French, in addition to his Turkish literacy, further reflects the technical and multilingual profile of the late Ottoman professional engineering class.

For collectors and researchers, this is an exceptionally rich primary document relating to Ottoman engineering, civil administration and the history of public infrastructure. Its unusually detailed chronological record of Mehmed Fevzi Bey's education, appointments, promotions, honours, salaries and engineering assignments provides a rare personal career record of an Ottoman engineer working on major water and infrastructure projects in Istanbul and Trabzon. The combination of engineering history, Ottoman bureaucracy, water infrastructure and official documentary material makes it a particularly compelling archival piece from the final years of the Empire.

Key Features:

• Title: Sicill-i Ahval Record of Engineer Mehmed Fevzi Bey

• Document Type: Ottoman Civil Service Biographical and Career Record (Sicill-i Ahval Varakası)

• Original Heading: Me'murin ve Ketebe ve Müstahdeminin Tescil Olunan Tercüme-i Hallerinin Tahririne Mahsus Varakadır

• Subject: Official career and biographical record of an Ottoman engineer

• Person: Mehmed Fevzi Bey, son of the late Arif Efendi of Kandiye (Heraklion)

• Education: Hendese-i Mülkiye Mektebi, graduated with “Âlâ” (Excellent) degree

• Professional Field: Civil engineering, construction, water distribution, irrigation and public infrastructure

• Government Service: Nafia ve Ticaret Nezareti (Ministry of Public Works and Commerce)

• Istanbul Service: Inspectorate of the Kâğıthane Menâbi-i Suları (Kâğıthane Water Sources)

• Trabzon Assignment: Sent to determine the route and construction method of the water channel serving Trabzon in 1912

• Travel Allowance: 4,410 kuruş for the Trabzon assignment

• Honours: Silver Medal of Merit (Gümüş İftihar Madalyası) and Fourth Class Order of Osmaniye (Nişan-ı Osmanî)

• Technical Publications: Works concerning construction, water distribution, irrigation and related engineering subjects

• Languages: Turkish and French

• Chronological Detail: Records appointments, promotions, salaries and official career developments with considerable detail

• Date: 3 April 1328 (16 April 1912)

• Documentary Features: Ottoman stamps, seals and official endorsements

• Historical Significance: Primary documentary evidence for Ottoman engineering, public works administration and the development of water infrastructure in Istanbul and Trabzon

• Collectible Significance: An unusually detailed Sicill-i Ahval document offering a rare insight into the professional career of an Ottoman engineer and the technical bureaucracy of the late Ottoman Empire