Valuable Statues Removed from the National Museum Located in Damascus
Ancient statues and other artefacts have been stolen from Syria's National Museum in Damascus, officials say.
The theft was discovered on Monday, when staff allegedly found that an entrance had been forced from the inside.
The six stolen statues were made of marble and originated to the Roman era, a source told the media outlet.
Cultural heritage officials said it had launched a probe to establish the "events surrounding the loss of a collection of artifacts", and that actions had been taken to strengthen safeguarding and monitoring systems.
The head of domestic security in the Damascus region, Security Chief Atkeh, was quoted by the government press as saying that authorities were probing the incident, which he said had targeted several "ancient sculptures and valuable objects".
He noted that guards at the museum and other individuals were being interviewed.
The National Museum, which was founded in the early twentieth century, houses the primary archaeological collection in Syria.
It features clay cuneiform tablets tracing back to the Bronze Age from historical site, where proof of the oldest known complete alphabet was found; early centuries CE classical statues from the ancient city, one of the most important ancient sites of the ancient world; and a third century religious building that was built at another archaeological site.
The institution was forced to close in the early 2010s, twelve months after the start of the internal strife. A large portion of the artifacts was removed and preserved at secret locations to ensure their safety.
It reopened partially in recent years and completely reopened in early this year, four weeks after opposition groups removed the Assad regime.
All six of nationally recognized sites were affected or significantly impacted during the internal struggle.
The Islamic State group destroyed multiple religious structures and other structures at Palmyra, asserting that they were idolatrous. Unesco censured the demolition as a war crime.
Numerous historical objects were also damaged or taken from archaeological sites and museums.
