Ancient Sculptures Stolen from the National Museum Located in Damascus
Historic sculptures and other artefacts have been taken from the National Museum of Syria in Damascus, officials say.
The theft was noticed on the start of the week, when employees apparently found that a doorway had been forced from the inside.
The six missing statues were made of marble and traced back to the ancient Roman times, a source told the news agency.
The nation's antiquities authority said it had opened an investigation to determine the "details surrounding the loss of a group of exhibits", and that actions had been enacted to enhance safeguarding and observation methods.
The chief of internal security in the Damascus region, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was quoted by the official media as declaring that security forces were examining the robbery, which he said had focused on several "archaeological statues and unique items".
He noted that museum protectors at the museum and other individuals were being interviewed.
The Damascus Museum, which was founded in the early twentieth century, contains the most important historical artifacts in Syria.
It features clay cuneiform tablets tracing back to the ancient era from Ugarit, where evidence of the most ancient writing system was discovered; 1st and 2nd Century AD ancient art from Palmyra, one of the most important ancient sites of the classical era; and a ancient Jewish temple that was constructed at another archaeological site.
The facility was forced to close in 2012, twelve months after the start of the internal strife. Most of the holdings was removed and kept at secure places to ensure their safety.
It began limited operations in 2018 and returned to normal in early this year, four weeks after opposition groups removed President Bashar al-Assad.
All six of nationally recognized sites were affected or significantly impacted during the civil war.
The Islamic State group blew up numerous religious structures and historical sites at the ancient city, asserting that they were un-Islamic. International authorities condemned the demolition as a atrocity.
Numerous cultural items were also lost or looted from historical locations and museums.
