Historic Sculptures Stolen from Syria's National Museum Located in Damascus
Historic artifacts and other artefacts have been taken from Syria's National Museum in the capital, officials say.
The robbery was discovered on the start of the week, when museum workers allegedly found that a doorway had been forced from the interior.
The multiple taken sculptures were crafted from marble and traced back to the ancient Roman times, an authority told the news agency.
Cultural heritage officials said it had opened an investigation to identify the "circumstances surrounding the disappearance of a collection of items", and that measures had been taken to strengthen security and observation methods.
The head of internal security in the Damascus region, Security Chief Atkeh, was quoted by the government press as saying that authorities were probing the theft, which he said had affected several "archaeological statues and rare collectibles".
He continued that security personnel at the facility and other individuals were being questioned.
The National Museum, which was founded in 1919, contains the primary cultural treasures in the country.
It contains clay cuneiform tablets originating to the Bronze Age from Ugarit, where evidence of the earliest linguistic system was discovered; 1st and 2nd Century AD ancient art from the ancient city, among the foremost ancient sites of the ancient world; and a third century religious building that was built at another archaeological site.
The museum was compelled to shut in 2012, a year after the beginning of the internal strife. Most of the collection was removed and preserved at undisclosed sites to protect them.
It began limited operations in 2018 and completely reopened in early this year, four weeks after rebel forces overthrew the Assad regime.
All six of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were harmed or partially destroyed during the conflict.
The Islamic State group demolished numerous temples and historical sites at the ancient city, stating that they were idolatrous. International authorities condemned the demolition as a war crime.
Countless artefacts were also damaged or looted from dig sites and museums.
