Valuable Sculptures Taken from the National Museum Located in Damascus
Ancient artifacts and additional items have been removed from the National Museum of Syria in Damascus, officials say.
The theft was discovered on Monday, when staff allegedly found that an entrance had been damaged from the inside.
The multiple stolen statues were made of marble and dated back to the Roman period, a source told the news agency.
Cultural heritage officials said it had launched a probe to establish the "events surrounding the disappearance of a number of artifacts", and that measures had been enacted to improve safeguarding and monitoring systems.
The head of internal security in the capital area, Security Chief Atkeh, was quoted by the state-run Sana news agency as declaring that authorities were probing the theft, which he said had focused on several "historical artifacts and valuable objects".
He noted that guards at the institution and additional people were being questioned.
The National Museum, which was created in 1919, holds the significant historical artifacts in Syria.
It features clay cuneiform tablets originating to the ancient era from an ancient city, where evidence of the oldest known complete alphabet was uncovered; 1st and 2nd Century AD Greco-Roman sculptures from historical site, a significant historical locations of the ancient world; and a ancient Jewish temple that was built at an ancient location.
The facility was had to cease operations in 2012, twelve months after the start of the internal strife. The majority of the collection was transferred and preserved at secret locations to safeguard them.
It began limited operations in 2018 and completely reopened in January 2025, one month after rebel forces removed President Bashar al-Assad.
All six of nationally recognized sites were harmed or significantly impacted during the internal struggle.
The militant faction blew up multiple temples and historical sites at the archaeological site, claiming that they were idolatrous. The cultural organization censured the demolition as a violation.
Numerous artefacts were also damaged or looted from historical locations and cultural institutions.
