Ancient Artifacts Taken from the National Museum Located in Damascus
Historic statues and other artefacts have been taken from Syria's National Museum in the capital, authorities report.
The burglary was noticed on the start of the week, when museum workers reportedly found that a doorway had been damaged from the interior.
The multiple stolen statues were marble creations and traced back to the ancient Roman times, an authority told the news agency.
Cultural heritage officials said it had launched a probe to identify the "circumstances surrounding the disappearance of a group of items", and that measures had been taken to improve protection and monitoring systems.
The director of internal security in the capital area, General Osama Atkeh, was cited by the official media as stating that law enforcement were investigating the robbery, which he said had focused on several "historical artifacts and unique items".
He added that guards at the museum and additional people were being interviewed.
The Damascus Museum, which was created in the early twentieth century, holds the significant historical artifacts in the country.
It contains clay cuneiform tablets originating to the 14th Century BC from Ugarit, where indications of the earliest complete alphabet was uncovered; Greco-Roman period ancient art from Palmyra, one of the most important cultural centres of the classical era; and a ancient synagogue that was established at an ancient location.
The institution was had to cease operations in the early 2010s, one year after the start of the devastating civil war. Most of the collection was transferred and preserved at secure places to ensure their safety.
It partially resumed in 2018 and returned to normal in January 2025, one month after insurgents deposed Syria's former leader.
All six of the country's cultural landmarks were affected or partly ruined during the civil war.
The IS organization blew up multiple ancient buildings and other structures at the ancient city, stating that they were idolatrous. Unesco denounced the damage as a war crime.
Countless artefacts were also lost or stolen from dig sites and cultural institutions.
