Bushnak
 The Bosniak mosque in Caesarea, Israel | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
| mainly Levant, Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, Jordan), Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Morocco | |
| Religion | |
| Sunni Islam | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Bosniaks in Turkey |
Bushnak (Template:Lang-ar, meaning "Bosnian" or "Bosniak", also transliterated Bushnaq, Boshnak, Bouchenak and Bouchnak) is a surname common among Levantines of Bosniak origin.[1][2] Those sharing this surname are the descendants of Bosniaks apprehensive of living under Christian rule after the Austro-Hungarian occupation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1878, who emigrated to Ottoman Syria.
While not originally from one family, most Bosniaks who emigrated to the Levant adopted Bushnak as a common surname, attesting to their origins. Bushnak is also used colloquially among Palestinians to refer to someone who is fair-skinned and good looking.[1]
History
Some Bosnian movement to Palestine occurred when Bosniak soldiers were brought to Palestine in the late 1800s to provide reinforcements for the Ottoman army.[1]
More substantial movement occurred after 1878, when the Austro-Hungarian empire, ruled by the House of Habsburg, occupied Bosnia. Bosniak emigration continued through this period, escalating after the Austro-Hungarian's 1908 annexation of Bosnia. Many emigrated to parts of what is now modern Turkey, while a smaller number settled in Ottoman Syria (modern Syria, Israel, Palestine, Lebanon and Jordan).
Bosnian emigrants 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.[1][2]
The Bosnian Muslim immigrants who settled in Caesarea in 1878 built two mosques, joining other Muslim immigrants from Morocco, Algeria, Crimea, the Caucasus, and Turkestan. These Slavic speaking immigrants eventually assimilated into the local Arab population.
Notable people bearing the surname
- Ali Bushnaq, Palestinian Mount Everest climber
- Ramez Bushnak (1976-2000), an Israeli Arab civilian shot dead by Israeli police during the Second Intifada
- Suzan Bushnaq (born 1963), Kuwaiti painter, daughter of Mohammed Bushnaq
- Suad Bushnaq, Arab-Canadian film composer
- Mohammed Bushnaq (born 1934), Palestinian artist (painter and sculptor)
- Lotfi Bouchnak (born 1952), Tunisian singer
- Hamid Bouchnak (born 1969), Moroccan raï singer
- Laura Boushnak (born 1976), Kuwaiti-born Palestinian photographer
See also
Notes and references
- ^ a b c d Amira Hass (25 October 2002). "It's the pits". Original in Haaretz, reprinted by Ta'ayush. Archived from the original on 2008-11-20. Retrieved 2008-11-12.
- ^ a b Ibrahim al-Marashi. "The Arab Bosnians?: The Middle East and the Security of the Balkans" (PDF). p. 4. Retrieved 2008-11-12.
Bibliography
- Khalifeh, Sahar (2005). The Inheritance. Cairo and New York, NY: American University in Cairo Press. ISBN 978-977-424-939-6.
Bosniak diaspora | ||
|---|---|---|
| Europe |  | |
| Asia | ||
| Americas | ||
| Oceania | ||
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