Valuable Statues Taken from Syria's National Museum Located in Damascus
Historic sculptures and other artefacts have been removed from the National Museum of Syria in the capital, authorities report.
The theft was noticed on Monday, when museum workers apparently found that a doorway had been forced from the inside.
The multiple taken sculptures were crafted from marble and dated back to the ancient Roman times, an authority stated to the Associated Press.
Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had launched a probe to identify the "details surrounding the disappearance of a number of items", and that measures had been implemented to strengthen security and monitoring systems.
The head of domestic security in the Damascus region, General Osama Atkeh, was referenced by the official media as saying that security forces were examining the theft, which he said had targeted several "historical artifacts and valuable objects".
He added that museum protectors at the institution and other individuals were being interrogated.
The cultural institution, which was established in 1919, holds the most important historical artifacts in Syria.
It contains historical records dating back to the Bronze Age from historical site, where proof of the earliest linguistic system was found; 1st and 2nd Century AD ancient art from Palmyra, among the foremost historical locations of the classical era; and a ancient religious building that was constructed at Dura Europos.
The institution was compelled to shut in 2012, one year after the start of the internal strife. The majority of the collection was evacuated and preserved at secure places to protect them.
It reopened partially in 2018 and completely reopened in early this year, a month after opposition groups overthrew President Bashar al-Assad.
Every one of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were affected or significantly impacted during the civil war.
The militant faction destroyed multiple religious structures and other structures at the ancient city, stating that they were against their beliefs. Unesco censured the destruction as a atrocity.
Countless historical objects were also lost or looted from archaeological sites and cultural institutions.
