Historic Sculptures Stolen from Syria's National Museum Located in Damascus
Valuable statues and cultural objects have been taken from the National Museum of Syria in the capital, authorities report.
The burglary was discovered on Monday, when museum workers reportedly found that a doorway had been damaged from the interior.
The six taken sculptures were marble creations and traced back to the Roman era, a source stated to the news agency.
Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had initiated an inquiry to identify the "events surrounding the theft of a collection of items", and that measures had been taken to strengthen safeguarding and monitoring systems.
The head of national security in the capital area, General Osama Atkeh, was cited by the government press as saying that security forces were probing the robbery, which he said had targeted several "historical artifacts and rare collectibles".
He continued that museum protectors at the museum and additional people were being interviewed.
The Damascus Museum, which was established in 1919, houses the significant historical artifacts in the country.
It features ancient inscribed tablets originating to the 14th Century BC from an ancient city, where proof of the oldest known linguistic system was uncovered; 1st and 2nd Century AD Greco-Roman sculptures from Palmyra, a significant cultural centres of the historical period; and a 3rd Century AD religious building that was built at Dura Europos.
The facility was forced to close in the early 2010s, a year after the start of the devastating civil war. A large portion of the collection was transferred and stored at undisclosed sites to safeguard them.
It reopened partially in 2018 and returned to normal in the beginning of the year, four weeks after opposition groups overthrew the Assad regime.
Every one of nationally recognized sites were affected or partly ruined during the internal struggle.
The Islamic State group demolished several religious structures and additional edifices at the archaeological site, claiming that they were against their beliefs. International authorities censured the damage as a war crime.
Countless cultural items were also damaged or taken from historical locations and museums.