Valuable Artifacts Taken from the National Museum in Damascus
Historic artifacts and other artefacts have been stolen from the National Museum of Syria in the capital, authorities report.
The theft was noticed on Monday, when museum workers allegedly found that one of the museum's doors had been damaged from the inside.
The half-dozen stolen statues were made of marble and originated to the ancient Roman times, one official stated to the media outlet.
Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had launched a probe to identify the "events surrounding the disappearance of a group of exhibits", and that actions had been taken to enhance safeguarding and observation methods.
The chief of national security in the Damascus region, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was quoted by the state-run Sana news agency as saying that authorities were investigating the theft, which he said had targeted several "ancient sculptures and valuable objects".
He noted that museum protectors at the facility and additional people were being questioned.
The cultural institution, which was established in the early twentieth century, contains the most important cultural treasures in Syria.
It includes ancient inscribed tablets tracing back to the Bronze Age from Ugarit, where evidence of the most ancient writing system was found; Greco-Roman period ancient art from historical site, among the foremost cultural centres of the historical period; and a ancient Jewish temple that was constructed at Dura Europos.
The museum was compelled to shut in the early 2010s, one year after the start of the internal strife. The majority of the collection was evacuated and preserved at undisclosed sites to safeguard them.
It partially resumed in 2018 and completely reopened in early this year, one month after opposition groups removed the Assad regime.
Every one of nationally recognized sites were damaged or partly ruined during the conflict.
The militant faction demolished several temples and other structures at Palmyra, claiming that they were un-Islamic. The cultural organization denounced the demolition as a war crime.
Many artefacts were also destroyed or taken from archaeological sites and collections.
