By Ronnie
In the quiet exchanges of a Rohingya household, a linguistic ghost remains. When a mother says “Kha-sana” (Eat!) or a friend insists “Bosh-sana” (Sit down!), they use a suffix that has no independent meaning in their own tongue. Yet, in Turkish, sana is the dative of sen (you). When a Turkish speaker says “Bak-sana” (Look here!), they are using a colloquialism to grab attention. This is more than a linguistic coincidence; it is a shared grammatical habit—a conversational “stamp” left by Turkish neighbours and commanders who helped build Arakan six centuries ago.
The First Wave: The King’s Turkish Guard (1429–1430)
The Turkish connection to Arakan was forged in the fires of military restoration. In 1406, the Arakanese King Min Saw Mun was expelled from his kingdom and fled to the Bengal Sultanate. In 1430, he was restored to his throne with a massive military force provided by Sultan Jalaluddin Muhammad Shah.
This expeditionary force included thousands of Turkish and Pathan soldiers. While the first expedition under Wali Khan (U-lu-Kheng) proved a betrayal, the second succeeded in seating Min Saw Mun on the throne. Many of these soldiers remained in Arakan, integrated into local society, and provided the military and administrative backbone of the newly established Mrauk-U (Mrohaung) Dynasty.
The “Sana” Theory: A Linguistic Mirror
The most compelling evidence of a Turkic footprint is found in the pragmatics of the Rohingya language. While the base of the language is Indo-Aryan, its “flavouring” is distinctly Central Asian. The suffix “-sana” in Rohingya functions as a directive or a polite imperative, identical to its use in standard Turkish:
- Rohingya: Kha-sana (Eat!) / Turkish: Ye-sana (Eat up!)
- Rohingya: Cho-sana (Look!) / Turkish: Bak-sana (Look here!)
Beyond Sana, other Turkic-origin “fossils” point back to the Steppe:
- Chakku (Knife): Derived from the Turkic bıçak/çakı, travelling through Persian into the military vocabulary of the Arakan frontier.
- Sardar (Leader): Used to denote a community elder, originating from the Persian-Turkic military rank for a commander.
The Poetry of a Global Capital
The 17th-century capital of Mrauk-U was a global hub where Turkish influence was celebrated in verse. The great poet Alaol, who lived in the Arakanese court, described the diverse nationalities—including many Turkic groups—who lived under the king’s protection:
“People of many countries and many kinds, Hearing of the joys of Roshang, Came under the shadow of the King. Arabs, Egyptians, Syrians, Turks, Abyssinians, Romans (Rumi/Ottomans), Khurasanis, Uzbeks and others.”
Genetic Echoes and the “Bengali” Myth
For decades, the Myanmar military and extremist groups have levelled the label “Bengali” against the Rohingya. This is a deliberate political tactic to characterise the community as “illegal interlopers,” thereby denying them their ethnic identity, citizenship, and fundamental rights.
However, anthropological observations tell a more complex story of a “Silk Road in the Blood.” Many Rohingya possess “Turani” traits: lighter skin tones, hazel or light brown eyes, and facial structures (high cheekbones and bridge-like noses) that align more closely with Central Asian and Persian phenotypes than with neighbouring populations.
This is the result of the 15th-century “Founder Effect.” When thousands of Turkish and Pathan soldiers settled in Mrauk-U in 1429, they created a genetic mosaic. By marrying local women, their specific genetic markers were amplified over 600 years, creating a unique signature that is a mosaic of Bengal, Arakan, and Turkic-Central Asia.
From the Ottomans to Emine Erdoğan
The relationship transitioned from military to moral during the late 19th century. As the Ottoman Empire sought to unite the global Ummah under Sultan Abdul Hamid II, the Muslims of Arakan looked toward Istanbul as the seat of the Caliphate. Even during the Balkan Wars and World War I, Muslims in distant Burma raised funds to support the Ottoman Red Crescent.
In the 21st century, this cycle has come full circle. When First Lady Emine Erdoğan visited the camps of Cox’s Bazar in 2017, she was walking in the footsteps of the Turkish ancestors who helped build Arakan six centuries ago.
Conclusion
Today, when the world looks at the Rohingya, they see a “stateless” people. But when Turkey looks at the Rohingya, they see a long-lost relative. The evidence is not just in history books—it is in our very mouths. Every time a Rohingya says “Bosh-sana,” they are speaking a 600-year-old truth: that we have always been connected to the Turkish soul.
Timeline: A 600-Year Bond
| Era | Event | Nature of Connection |
| 8th–10th C. | Arab Trade | Kings adopt Muslim names/titles; the court is influenced by Persian/Turkic culture. |
| 1429–1430 | Restoration | Turkish/Pathan troops restore Min Saw Mun and settle in Mrauk-U. |
| 1430–1638 | Golden Age | Kings adopt Muslim names/titles; court influenced by Persian/Turkic culture. |
| 1666 | Mughal Integration | Elite Mughal-Turkic units (Sipahis) settle as frontier guards. |
| Late 1800s | Ottoman Outreach | Caliphate offers moral solidarity and receives support from Burma. |
| 2017–Present | Modern Aid | Turkey leads international aid and high-level political support. |
References
- Karim, A. (2000). The Rohingyas: A Short Account of Their History and Culture. Arakan Historical Society.
- Islam, N. Arakan: Its People and History.
- Harvey, G. E. (1925). History of Burma. London.
- Eaton, R. M. (1993). The Rise of Islam and the Bengal Frontier. University of California Press.
