Valuable Statues Taken from Syria's National Museum in Damascus
Valuable statues and additional items have been taken from the National Museum of Syria in Damascus, authorities report.
The theft was noticed on Monday, when staff apparently found that a doorway had been forced from the interior.
The six taken statues were made of marble and traced back to the Roman period, a source stated to the news agency.
The nation's antiquities authority said it had launched a probe to establish the "events surrounding the theft of a group of exhibits", and that actions had been taken to strengthen security and monitoring systems.
The chief of domestic security in Damascus province, General Osama Atkeh, was referenced by the official media as stating that security forces were examining the theft, which he said had targeted several "archaeological statues and rare collectibles".
He added that security personnel at the museum and other persons were being interrogated.
The National Museum, which was established in the early twentieth century, holds the most important archaeological collection in the country.
It contains historical records tracing back to the Bronze Age from historical site, where proof of the most ancient complete alphabet was uncovered; Greco-Roman period ancient art from Palmyra, a significant historical locations of the historical period; and a ancient Jewish temple that was established at Dura Europos.
The museum was had to cease operations in 2012, a year after the beginning of the devastating civil war. Most of the artifacts was removed and preserved at secure places to protect them.
It reopened partially in 2018 and returned to normal in January 2025, one month after opposition groups removed the Assad regime.
Each of the six of the country's cultural landmarks were harmed or partly ruined during the civil war.
The IS organization demolished several ancient buildings and other structures at Palmyra, asserting that they were against their beliefs. International authorities condemned the damage as a war crime.
Many historical objects were also damaged or stolen from dig sites and museums.
