Historic Artifacts Stolen from Syria's National Museum in Damascus
Ancient artifacts and other artefacts have been taken from Syria's National Museum in Damascus, officials say.
The theft was found on the start of the week, when museum workers apparently found that a doorway had been broken from the interior.
The six taken sculptures were made of marble and dated back to the Roman era, an authority told the media outlet.
Cultural heritage officials said it had launched a probe to determine the "events surrounding the theft of a group of items", and that measures had been enacted to strengthen safeguarding and monitoring systems.
The director of domestic security in the capital area, Security Chief Atkeh, was quoted by the official media as saying that authorities were investigating the robbery, which he said had targeted several "archaeological statues and rare collectibles".
He added that guards at the facility and other persons were being interrogated.
The National Museum, which was founded in 1919, contains the primary archaeological collection in the country.
It features ancient inscribed tablets dating back to the ancient era from historical site, where evidence of the oldest known writing system was found; 1st and 2nd Century AD ancient art from historical site, one of the most important historical locations of the ancient world; and a third century religious building that was established at Dura Europos.
The museum was had to cease operations in 2012, twelve months after the beginning of the internal strife. The majority of the holdings was removed and preserved at secret locations to ensure their safety.
It began limited operations in 2018 and resumed full operations in early this year, four weeks after rebel forces deposed the Assad regime.
Every one of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were harmed or partly ruined during the conflict.
The Islamic State group blew up multiple ancient buildings and additional edifices at the ancient city, stating that they were against their beliefs. International authorities censured the destruction as a atrocity.
Countless cultural items were also damaged or looted from historical locations and cultural institutions.
