Historic Sculptures Taken from Syria's National Museum Located in Damascus
Valuable statues and other artefacts have been removed from Syria's National Museum in the capital, authorities report.
The burglary was found on Monday, when museum workers reportedly found that a doorway had been broken from the interior.
The half-dozen stolen sculptures were made of marble and dated back to the ancient Roman times, a source stated to the news agency.
The nation's antiquities authority said it had opened an investigation to identify the "details surrounding the theft of a group of exhibits", and that actions had been implemented to improve safeguarding and surveillance.
The chief of domestic security in the Damascus region, General Osama Atkeh, was quoted by the state-run Sana news agency as stating that authorities were probing the incident, which he said had focused on several "ancient sculptures and unique items".
He continued that museum protectors at the facility and additional people were being interrogated.
The National Museum, which was created in the early twentieth century, holds the primary archaeological collection in Syria.
It includes historical records tracing back to the ancient era from historical site, where evidence of the earliest writing system was discovered; early centuries CE Greco-Roman sculptures from Palmyra, among the foremost cultural centres of the historical period; and a third century synagogue that was established at another archaeological site.
The institution was forced to close in 2012, one year after the outbreak of the devastating civil war. The majority of the holdings was transferred and kept at secret locations to ensure their safety.
It partially resumed in 2018 and returned to normal in early this year, one month after opposition groups overthrew the Assad regime.
Every one of nationally recognized sites were harmed or significantly impacted during the internal struggle.
The IS organization destroyed multiple ancient buildings and additional edifices at Palmyra, stating that they were un-Islamic. International authorities denounced the damage as a violation.
Many historical objects were also destroyed or looted from dig sites and museums.
