Valuable Sculptures Taken from Syria's National Museum in Damascus
Valuable artifacts and additional items have been taken from the National Museum of Syria in the capital, sources confirm.
The theft was discovered on the start of the week, when museum workers allegedly found that an entrance had been damaged from the inside.
The half-dozen taken pieces were crafted from marble and dated back to the ancient Roman times, one official told the news agency.
Cultural heritage officials said it had opened an investigation to determine the "circumstances surrounding the theft of a collection of exhibits", and that steps had been implemented to improve security and monitoring systems.
The head of internal security in the capital area, General Osama Atkeh, was referenced by the official media as saying that security forces were examining the robbery, which he said had focused on several "ancient sculptures and rare collectibles".
He continued that museum protectors at the museum and other individuals were being questioned.
The cultural institution, which was created in 1919, holds the primary archaeological collection in Syria.
It features clay cuneiform tablets dating back to the 14th Century BC from Ugarit, where indications of the oldest known linguistic system was discovered; Greco-Roman period ancient art from the ancient city, among the foremost cultural centres of the historical period; and a ancient Jewish temple that was built at an ancient location.
The museum was had to cease operations in 2012, a year after the start of the devastating civil war. Most of the holdings was transferred and preserved at secret locations to safeguard them.
It began limited operations in 2018 and resumed full operations in January 2025, one month after insurgents deposed President Bashar al-Assad.
Every one of the country's cultural landmarks were damaged or partly ruined during the conflict.
The IS organization blew up several ancient buildings and other structures at Palmyra, stating that they were against their beliefs. International authorities censured the demolition as a atrocity.
Countless artefacts were also destroyed or taken from archaeological sites and museums.
