Ancient Sculptures Stolen from Syria's National Museum Located in Damascus
Valuable statues and other artefacts have been removed from the National Museum of Syria in the capital, officials say.
The theft was found on the start of the week, when museum workers allegedly found that a doorway had been damaged from the interior.
The multiple stolen sculptures were marble creations and dated back to the ancient Roman times, one official informed the Associated Press.
The nation's antiquities authority said it had initiated an inquiry to establish the "circumstances surrounding the disappearance of a number of items", and that actions had been taken to improve security and monitoring systems.
The director of internal security in the Damascus region, General Osama Atkeh, was quoted by the government press as saying that law enforcement were probing the robbery, which he said had affected several "ancient sculptures and valuable objects".
He continued that guards at the institution and additional people were being questioned.
The Damascus Museum, which was created in the early twentieth century, houses the most important archaeological collection in the country.
It features historical records originating to the 14th Century BC from historical site, where proof of the oldest known writing system was uncovered; early centuries CE ancient art from the ancient city, a significant ancient sites of the historical period; and a 3rd Century AD Jewish temple that was built at another archaeological site.
The facility was compelled to shut in 2012, twelve months after the outbreak of the destructive conflict. The majority of the holdings was evacuated and kept at secure places to safeguard them.
It partially resumed in 2018 and completely reopened in January 2025, four weeks after opposition groups deposed President Bashar al-Assad.
All six of nationally recognized sites were harmed or partly ruined during the civil war.
The IS organization destroyed numerous religious structures and additional edifices at the archaeological site, asserting that they were un-Islamic. International authorities denounced the demolition as a atrocity.
Many artefacts were also destroyed or taken from dig sites and collections.
