Image of Arab woman inspired iconic statue

The Statue of Liberty, a symbol freedom that has greeted countless immigrants to US shores, was inspired by a project representing an Arab woman guarding the Suez Canal, researchers said.

The recent findings are especially startling for some in the United States.

French sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, who traveled to Egypt in 1855-56, developed there a "passion for large-scale public monuments and colossal sculptures", said the US National Park Service, which guards the Statue of Liberty.