Historic Artifacts Taken from Syria's National Museum Located in Damascus
Ancient sculptures and cultural objects have been removed from Syria's National Museum in the capital, officials say.
The burglary was discovered on Monday, when staff apparently found that one of the museum's doors had been damaged from the inside.
The six taken sculptures were made of marble and dated back to the Roman era, an authority informed the media outlet.
Cultural heritage officials said it had opened an investigation to determine the "circumstances surrounding the theft of a group of items", and that steps had been taken to improve safeguarding and monitoring systems.
The director of national security in the Damascus region, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was quoted by the state-run Sana news agency as declaring that security forces were investigating the incident, which he said had targeted several "archaeological statues and rare collectibles".
He noted that guards at the facility and other persons were being interrogated.
The National Museum, which was created in the early twentieth century, holds the most important historical artifacts in Syria.
It includes historical records originating to the ancient era from an ancient city, where indications of the earliest complete alphabet was found; early centuries CE ancient art from historical site, a significant cultural centres of the historical period; and a 3rd Century AD Jewish temple that was built at another archaeological site.
The facility was compelled to shut in 2012, one year after the start of the destructive conflict. Most of the collection was transferred and stored at undisclosed sites to safeguard them.
It began limited operations in recent years and completely reopened in early this year, a month after insurgents overthrew the Assad regime.
All six of nationally recognized sites were affected or significantly impacted during the internal struggle.
The Islamic State group destroyed multiple religious structures and historical sites at the ancient city, stating that they were un-Islamic. International authorities denounced the demolition as a war crime.
Countless artefacts were also destroyed or taken from historical locations and collections.
