Valuable Sculptures Stolen from the National Museum Located in Damascus
Ancient artifacts and other artefacts have been removed from the National Museum of Syria in Damascus, sources confirm.
The robbery was discovered on the start of the week, when staff reportedly found that a doorway had been damaged from the interior.
The multiple missing pieces were marble creations and originated to the ancient Roman times, a source stated to the news agency.
Cultural heritage officials said it had launched a probe to determine the "details surrounding the theft of a collection of items", and that actions had been enacted to enhance protection and monitoring systems.
The head of internal security in Damascus province, Security Chief Atkeh, was cited by the official media as declaring that law enforcement were investigating the theft, which he said had affected several "historical artifacts and unique items".
He added that guards at the facility and other persons were being interviewed.
The Damascus Museum, which was created in the early twentieth century, holds the most important cultural treasures in Syria.
It contains clay cuneiform tablets tracing back to the Bronze Age from historical site, where indications of the oldest known complete alphabet was found; 1st and 2nd Century AD ancient art from Palmyra, one of the most important cultural centres of the classical era; and a ancient synagogue that was built at an ancient location.
The facility was had to cease operations in the early 2010s, twelve months after the beginning of the devastating civil war. A large portion of the collection was transferred and preserved at undisclosed sites to ensure their safety.
It partially resumed in 2018 and completely reopened in early this year, four weeks after opposition groups deposed President Bashar al-Assad.
Each of the six of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were damaged or significantly impacted during the civil war.
The militant faction demolished numerous religious structures and historical sites at the archaeological site, stating that they were idolatrous. The cultural organization denounced the destruction as a atrocity.
Many artefacts were also destroyed or looted from dig sites and collections.