Valuable Statues Removed from the National Museum Located in Damascus
Ancient sculptures and other artefacts have been taken from Syria's National Museum in Damascus, officials say.
The robbery was noticed on the start of the week, when museum workers reportedly found that one of the museum's doors had been broken from the inside.
The half-dozen taken pieces were made of marble and traced back to the ancient Roman times, an authority stated to the Associated Press.
Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had launched a probe to determine the "circumstances surrounding the theft of a collection of items", and that measures had been enacted to improve safeguarding and monitoring systems.
The director of national security in the capital area, General Osama Atkeh, was cited by the official media as stating that authorities were investigating the theft, which he said had focused on several "archaeological statues and unique items".
He noted that security personnel at the institution and additional people were being interrogated.
The Damascus Museum, which was established in 1919, contains the significant historical artifacts in the country.
It features ancient inscribed tablets originating to the 14th Century BC from Ugarit, where indications of the earliest complete alphabet was uncovered; early centuries CE ancient art from Palmyra, a significant cultural centres of the ancient world; and a third century religious building that was established at Dura Europos.
The facility was compelled to shut in the early 2010s, a year after the start of the devastating civil war. Most of the artifacts was evacuated and preserved at undisclosed sites to ensure their safety.
It began limited operations in 2018 and returned to normal in early this year, one month after rebel forces deposed Syria's former leader.
All six of the country's cultural landmarks were affected or partially destroyed during the internal struggle.
The militant faction demolished multiple religious structures and historical sites at Palmyra, stating that they were idolatrous. The cultural organization denounced the damage as a atrocity.
Numerous historical objects were also destroyed or stolen from archaeological sites and collections.
