Ancient Sculptures Removed from the National Museum Located in Damascus
Historic artifacts and other artefacts have been taken from Syria's National Museum in Damascus, officials say.
The theft was found on Monday, when staff allegedly found that a doorway had been broken from the inside.
The half-dozen missing pieces were made of marble and originated to the Roman era, one official told the media outlet.
Cultural heritage officials said it had initiated an inquiry to establish the "events surrounding the loss of a group of items", and that actions had been taken to strengthen security and observation methods.
The chief of national security in Damascus province, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was cited by the official media as stating that security forces were probing the incident, which he said had affected several "historical artifacts and valuable objects".
He continued that guards at the institution and other persons were being interrogated.
The cultural institution, which was founded in the early twentieth century, holds the significant historical artifacts in Syria.
It includes ancient inscribed tablets tracing back to the ancient era from Ugarit, where indications of the oldest known writing system was found; Greco-Roman period classical statues from Palmyra, a significant historical locations of the historical period; and a third century Jewish temple that was built at another archaeological site.
The museum was compelled to shut in 2012, a year after the outbreak of the internal strife. Most of the artifacts was evacuated and stored at secret locations to safeguard them.
It began limited operations in 2018 and resumed full operations in January 2025, one month after insurgents deposed the Assad regime.
Each of the six of nationally recognized sites were harmed or partially destroyed during the internal struggle.
The Islamic State group blew up numerous religious structures and historical sites at the ancient city, claiming that they were un-Islamic. International authorities censured the demolition as a atrocity.
Countless cultural items were also damaged or stolen from dig sites and cultural institutions.
