Valuable Statues Removed from Syria's National Museum Located in Damascus
Ancient sculptures and other artefacts have been taken from the National Museum of Syria in Damascus, sources confirm.
The theft was noticed on Monday, when employees allegedly found that one of the museum's doors had been forced from the interior.
The half-dozen missing statues were made of marble and originated to the Roman era, one official stated to the news agency.
The nation's antiquities authority said it had opened an investigation to identify the "details surrounding the theft of a collection of artifacts", and that measures had been taken to strengthen protection and surveillance.
The head of national security in Damascus province, General Osama Atkeh, was referenced by the state-run Sana news agency as declaring that security forces were examining the incident, which he said had focused on several "historical artifacts and rare collectibles".
He added that guards at the institution and additional people were being questioned.
The National Museum, which was established in 1919, holds the significant archaeological collection in the country.
It includes historical records tracing back to the 14th Century BC from an ancient city, where evidence of the earliest complete alphabet was discovered; 1st and 2nd Century AD Greco-Roman sculptures from the ancient city, one of the most important historical locations of the historical period; and a 3rd Century AD religious building that was built at Dura Europos.
The museum was compelled to shut in 2012, twelve months after the outbreak of the devastating civil war. A large portion of the holdings was removed and preserved at secret locations to ensure their safety.
It began limited operations in 2018 and returned to normal in early this year, a month after insurgents removed President Bashar al-Assad.
Each of the six of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were damaged or partly ruined during the internal struggle.
The Islamic State group demolished numerous religious structures and historical sites at Palmyra, claiming that they were un-Islamic. Unesco condemned the demolition as a war crime.
Many cultural items were also lost or stolen from historical locations and cultural institutions.
