The Statue of Liberty in New York City is one of the most prominent landmark in the United States. It is a global icon of freedom, and a welcoming sight for immigrants arriving from abroad.
This world-famous statue, however, was not conceived the way it stands today. Before being a robed female figure representing the Roman goddess Libertas, the Statue of Liberty was originally intended to depict a veiled Muslim peasant woman guarding the approach to the Suez Canal.
The Smithsonian Institute, which administers museums and research centres in the U.S., confirmed this little known fact, initially pointed out by columnist Michael Daly in an op-ed article for The Daily Beast.
In his opinion piece, Daly said the Statue of Liberty was "born a Muslim."
He then told of how Liberty's French designer, Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi, originally proposed the building of a statue of a veiled peasant woman to represent Egypt at its northern canal. The idea, however, did not appeal to the Turkish viceroy of Egypt, Ishma'il Pasha.
An article published on Smithsonian.com told of how early models of the Statue of Liberty were initially called "Egypt Carrying the Light to Asia." The statue was originally conceived to be 86 feet high, and its pedestal was to rise to a height of 48 feet.
But when it was finished, the statue stood at a height of 305 feet and one inch (93 metres) from ground to torch and 151 feet one inch (46 metres) from base to torch, according to Wikipedia. It was dedicated on Oct. 28, 1886 and underwent restoration in 1938, 1984–1986, and 2011–2012.
"That might be surprising to people more familiar with the statue's French roots than its Arab ones," the Smithsonian said.
According to the Smithsonian, when Bartholdi's idea was rejected by the Egyptians, he repurposed his concept into "Liberty Enlightening the World."
Bartholdi originally considered building the statue at the tip of Manhattan and Central Park, but decided on placing it on Bedloe's Island after taking a ferry to Staten Island.
And the rest, they say, is history. The statue has been standing on Liberty Island on New York Harbor since 1886, after France gave it as a gift to the U.S.
