Valuable Sculptures Taken from Syria's National Museum Located in Damascus
Ancient artifacts and additional items have been stolen from Syria's National Museum in Damascus, sources confirm.
The theft was noticed on Monday, when employees apparently found that one of the museum's doors had been broken from the inside.
The six stolen statues were made of marble and originated to the ancient Roman times, one official stated to the news agency.
Cultural heritage officials said it had opened an investigation to establish the "circumstances surrounding the theft of a collection of artifacts", and that measures had been enacted to improve safeguarding and observation methods.
The chief of internal security in the capital area, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was quoted by the state-run Sana news agency as saying that authorities were probing the incident, which he said had focused on several "historical artifacts and unique items".
He added that security personnel at the institution and additional people were being interviewed.
The National Museum, which was established in the early twentieth century, houses the significant archaeological collection in Syria.
It features clay cuneiform tablets tracing back to the Bronze Age from historical site, where indications of the oldest known complete alphabet was found; 1st and 2nd Century AD ancient art from historical site, a significant historical locations of the classical era; and a 3rd Century AD Jewish temple that was built at Dura Europos.
The facility was had to cease operations in the early 2010s, one year after the start of the devastating civil war. The majority of the artifacts was transferred and preserved at undisclosed sites to protect them.
It reopened partially in 2018 and returned to normal in the beginning of the year, four weeks after insurgents overthrew the Assad regime.
All six of nationally recognized sites were harmed or partly ruined during the civil war.
The IS organization destroyed numerous temples and additional edifices at the ancient city, asserting that they were against their beliefs. Unesco censured the damage as a war crime.
Countless artefacts were also lost or taken from historical locations and cultural institutions.
