Historic Sculptures Removed from the National Museum Located in Damascus
Historic sculptures and additional items have been stolen from Syria's National Museum in the capital, officials say.
The burglary was discovered on the start of the week, when museum workers apparently found that one of the museum's doors had been forced from the interior.
The half-dozen taken statues were crafted from marble and originated to the Roman era, an authority informed the Associated Press.
The nation's antiquities authority said it had initiated an inquiry to establish the "events surrounding the loss of a collection of exhibits", and that actions had been taken to enhance safeguarding and observation methods.
The chief of national security in Damascus province, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was cited by the official media as declaring that law enforcement were investigating the robbery, which he said had targeted several "historical artifacts and valuable objects".
He noted that security personnel at the museum and other individuals were being interrogated.
The cultural institution, which was established in 1919, holds the primary cultural treasures in Syria.
It includes clay cuneiform tablets dating back to the ancient era from an ancient city, where evidence of the oldest known complete alphabet was discovered; Greco-Roman period Greco-Roman sculptures from Palmyra, a significant ancient sites of the historical period; and a ancient synagogue that was constructed at another archaeological site.
The museum was compelled to shut in the early 2010s, a year after the beginning of the devastating civil war. A large portion of the holdings was removed and preserved at secure places to safeguard them.
It partially resumed in recent years and returned to normal in January 2025, one month after opposition groups overthrew the Assad regime.
Every one of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were affected or significantly impacted during the conflict.
The militant faction blew up several religious structures and other structures at the ancient city, stating that they were against their beliefs. International authorities condemned the destruction as a atrocity.
Countless artefacts were also destroyed or looted from archaeological sites and cultural institutions.
