Clerks Participate in Government

Reis ul-Kuttap: chief clerk.

Between the mid-17th century and, approximately, 1794, clerks were socially acknowledged. This period also coincides with the move of the Reis ul-Kuttap to buildings outside the sultan's palace. Clerks had previously become experts on administration and dealt with regular bureaucratic affairs. They had access to official documents and acted as intemediaries between the palace and the provinces.

Grand Vizier, end of the 18th century.

Secretary to the sultan, 1802

During this period, considered as the golden age of the clerks, this social group grew in number and increased its income, which did not come exclusively from the Treasury but also from contacts with eminent people. Gradually the Ottoman bureaucracy became a disfunctional mechanism ruled by bribery.