Valuable Sculptures Removed from the National Museum Located in Damascus
Valuable statues and additional items have been taken from the National Museum of Syria in the capital, officials say.
The burglary was discovered on the start of the week, when employees apparently found that a doorway had been damaged from the inside.
The six stolen statues were marble creations and originated to the Roman period, one official informed the news agency.
Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had launched a probe to determine the "details surrounding the loss of a collection of exhibits", and that actions had been implemented to improve safeguarding and observation methods.
The director of internal security in the capital area, Security Chief Atkeh, was referenced by the government press as saying that authorities were examining the theft, which he said had focused on several "ancient sculptures and unique items".
He noted that museum protectors at the facility and other individuals were being interrogated.
The cultural institution, which was founded in the early twentieth century, holds the most important archaeological collection in Syria.
It includes clay cuneiform tablets dating back to the 14th Century BC from historical site, where evidence of the earliest linguistic system was uncovered; Greco-Roman period classical statues from Palmyra, one of the most important ancient sites of the historical period; and a ancient religious building that was established at Dura Europos.
The institution was had to cease operations in 2012, twelve months after the outbreak of the internal strife. The majority of the artifacts was removed and kept at secure places to safeguard them.
It reopened partially in 2018 and returned to normal in early this year, one month after rebel forces deposed President Bashar al-Assad.
Each of the six of the country's cultural landmarks were harmed or partly ruined during the civil war.
The Islamic State group destroyed numerous religious structures and historical sites at the archaeological site, asserting that they were idolatrous. International authorities censured the damage as a war crime.
Numerous cultural items were also damaged or looted from historical locations and museums.
