Bushnak (, meaning "Bosnian", also transliteration Bushnaq, Boshnak, Bouchenak and Bouchnak) is a surname common among and Saudis (Arabic-speakers) of Bosnian Muslim origin.
While not originally from one family, most Bosnian Muslims who immigrated to the Levant adopted Bushnak as a common surname, attesting to their origins.
History
Some Bosnian movement to Palestine occurred when Bosnian Muslim soldiers were brought to Palestine in the late 1800s to provide reinforcements for the Ottoman army.[
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More substantial movement occurred after 1878, when the Austria-Hungary, ruled by the , occupied Bosnia. Bosnian Muslim emigration continued through this period, escalating after the Austro-Hungarian's Bosnian crisis. Many immigrated to parts of what is now modern Turkey, while a smaller number settled in Ottoman Syria (modern Syria, Israel, Palestine, Lebanon and Jordan).
Bosnian immigrants settled predominantly in villages in the parts of the present day West Bank and Israel: Caesarea, Yanun, Nablus and Tulkarem. Their descendants still live in these villages, their Bosnian heritage reflected in the Arab surname of Bushnak.[
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Notable people bearing the surname
Bushnag
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Mohammed Bushnag, Saudi Deputy Minister for the Tourism Human Capital at the Saudi Ministry of Tourism.
Bushnak
Bushnaq
Bouchnak
Boushnak
See also
Notes and references
Bibliography
