Bushnak (Arabic: بشناق, meaning "Bosnian", also transliterated Bushnaq and Boshnak) is a surname common among the small minority of Palestinians who are of Bosnian origin. Those sharing this surname are the descendants of Muslim soldiers who were brought to Palestine at the end of the nineteenth century by the Ottoman authorities to provide reinforcements for its army, or who emigrated due to apprehensions about living under Christian rule after Bosnia's incorporation into the Habsburg empire.These Bosnian emigrants ended up settling in various places in the country, among them Caesarea, Yanun, Nablus, and Tulkarem. While not originally from one family, most Bosnian immigrants to Palestine adopted Bushnak as a common surname, attesting to their origins.
