Ancient Statues Taken from the National Museum Located in Damascus
Ancient artifacts and other artefacts have been taken from the National Museum of Syria in the capital, authorities report.
The robbery was discovered on Monday, when employees reportedly found that a doorway had been forced from the inside.
The six stolen statues were made of marble and dated back to the Roman era, a source told the media outlet.
Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had launched a probe to identify the "events surrounding the loss of a group of exhibits", and that steps had been taken to enhance security and observation methods.
The director of internal security in the capital area, General Osama Atkeh, was referenced by the state-run Sana news agency as stating that security forces were investigating the theft, which he said had affected several "historical artifacts and unique items".
He noted that museum protectors at the institution and other individuals were being questioned.
The cultural institution, which was created in 1919, houses the primary historical artifacts in the country.
It contains historical records tracing back to the Bronze Age from an ancient city, where evidence of the oldest known complete alphabet was discovered; early centuries CE Greco-Roman sculptures from Palmyra, a significant cultural centres of the classical era; and a third century synagogue that was constructed at an ancient location.
The facility was compelled to shut in 2012, twelve months after the outbreak of the devastating civil war. The majority of the holdings was evacuated and kept at undisclosed sites to safeguard them.
It reopened partially in 2018 and resumed full operations in early this year, a month after opposition groups overthrew the Assad regime.
Each of the six of nationally recognized sites were affected or partly ruined during the civil war.
The Islamic State group blew up numerous temples and additional edifices at the archaeological site, claiming that they were against their beliefs. The cultural organization denounced the demolition as a atrocity.
Numerous historical objects were also destroyed or stolen from archaeological sites and cultural institutions.
