Historic Sculptures Removed from the National Museum Located in Damascus
Valuable sculptures and other artefacts have been taken from the National Museum of Syria in the capital, authorities report.
The burglary was noticed on Monday, when employees reportedly found that a doorway had been broken from the inside.
The half-dozen missing sculptures were made of marble and originated to the Roman era, one official told the Associated Press.
Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had initiated an inquiry to establish the "events surrounding the theft of a collection of exhibits", and that measures had been enacted to improve security and observation methods.
The head of domestic security in Damascus province, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was quoted by the official media as stating that security forces were investigating the theft, which he said had affected several "archaeological statues and valuable objects".
He noted that security personnel at the facility and other persons were being interrogated.
The National Museum, which was founded in 1919, holds the most important archaeological collection in the country.
It features clay cuneiform tablets tracing back to the Bronze Age from historical site, where indications of the most ancient complete alphabet was found; Greco-Roman period classical statues from historical site, among the foremost ancient sites of the historical period; and a third century synagogue that was established at another archaeological site.
The facility was forced to close in 2012, twelve months after the outbreak of the devastating civil war. A large portion of the artifacts was removed and preserved at secret locations to ensure their safety.
It began limited operations in 2018 and resumed full operations in early this year, a month after opposition groups overthrew Syria's former leader.
Every one of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were damaged or partly ruined during the civil war.
The IS organization blew up numerous religious structures and other structures at Palmyra, claiming that they were idolatrous. The cultural organization denounced the destruction as a atrocity.
Countless historical objects were also destroyed or looted from dig sites and museums.
