Historic Artifacts Removed from Syria's National Museum Located in Damascus
Historic statues and additional items have been removed from the National Museum of Syria in Damascus, sources confirm.
The robbery was noticed on the start of the week, when staff apparently found that a doorway had been damaged from the interior.
The six missing sculptures were marble creations and originated to the ancient Roman times, a source told the media outlet.
The nation's antiquities authority said it had launched a probe to identify the "circumstances surrounding the theft of a group of artifacts", and that actions had been taken to strengthen protection and monitoring systems.
The head of internal security in the capital area, General Osama Atkeh, was referenced by the state-run Sana news agency as saying that security forces were probing the robbery, which he said had focused on several "ancient sculptures and unique items".
He continued that guards at the institution and other individuals were being interrogated.
The Damascus Museum, which was established in 1919, houses the most important archaeological collection in the country.
It features clay cuneiform tablets originating to the 14th Century BC from Ugarit, where indications of the earliest complete alphabet was uncovered; early centuries CE Greco-Roman sculptures from historical site, among the foremost ancient sites of the classical era; and a ancient synagogue that was constructed at another archaeological site.
The museum was forced to close in the early 2010s, one year after the outbreak of the internal strife. The majority of the holdings was transferred and preserved at secure places to safeguard them.
It began limited operations in 2018 and completely reopened in early this year, a month after insurgents deposed President Bashar al-Assad.
All six of the country's cultural landmarks were harmed or partially destroyed during the conflict.
The IS organization destroyed numerous religious structures and historical sites at the archaeological site, claiming that they were idolatrous. Unesco censured the destruction as a violation.
Many cultural items were also lost or looted from archaeological sites and cultural institutions.
