Ancient Sculptures Taken from the National Museum Located in Damascus
Ancient sculptures and cultural objects have been removed from Syria's National Museum in Damascus, officials say.
The robbery was discovered on the start of the week, when staff allegedly found that one of the museum's doors had been forced from the inside.
The multiple taken statues were made of marble and dated back to the Roman era, one official informed the media outlet.
Cultural heritage officials said it had opened an investigation to establish the "events surrounding the disappearance of a number of artifacts", and that actions had been taken to enhance safeguarding and monitoring systems.
The head of domestic security in Damascus province, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was quoted by the government press as saying that authorities were investigating the robbery, which he said had focused on several "historical artifacts and valuable objects".
He noted that museum protectors at the museum and additional people were being interrogated.
The National Museum, which was established in 1919, houses the most important archaeological collection in the country.
It contains clay cuneiform tablets tracing back to the ancient era from historical site, where evidence of the earliest writing system was uncovered; Greco-Roman period classical statues from Palmyra, one of the most important ancient sites of the historical period; and a 3rd Century AD religious building that was constructed at an ancient location.
The museum was compelled to shut in the early 2010s, one year after the start of the destructive conflict. Most of the holdings was removed and kept at undisclosed sites to protect them.
It reopened partially in 2018 and resumed full operations in early this year, a month after opposition groups overthrew President Bashar al-Assad.
All six of nationally recognized sites were damaged or partly ruined during the conflict.
The Islamic State group blew up several temples and other structures at the ancient city, stating that they were idolatrous. Unesco censured the damage as a violation.
Many historical objects were also damaged or looted from archaeological sites and cultural institutions.
