Valuable Sculptures Taken from the National Museum Located in Damascus

Valuable artifacts and cultural objects have been taken from Syria's National Museum in the capital, sources confirm.

The burglary was noticed on Monday, when museum workers apparently found that one of the museum's doors had been broken from the interior.

The half-dozen taken statues were crafted from marble and dated back to the ancient Roman times, one official informed the news agency.

Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had initiated an inquiry to establish the "circumstances surrounding the loss of a group of artifacts", and that steps had been implemented to enhance protection and monitoring systems.

The head of national security in the Damascus region, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was referenced by the government press as declaring that law enforcement were investigating the robbery, which he said had affected several "ancient sculptures and valuable objects".

He added that guards at the institution and other individuals were being interviewed.

The National Museum, which was established in the early twentieth century, houses the significant cultural treasures in the country.

It includes clay cuneiform tablets tracing back to the 14th Century BC from Ugarit, where indications of the oldest known linguistic system was uncovered; early centuries CE classical statues from historical site, among the foremost ancient sites of the classical era; and a third century Jewish temple that was established at an ancient location.

The institution was had to cease operations in the early 2010s, twelve months after the beginning of the devastating civil war. The majority of the collection was removed and kept at secret locations to ensure their safety.

It began limited operations in 2018 and completely reopened in the beginning of the year, one month after rebel forces deposed the Assad regime.

All six of nationally recognized sites were damaged or partly ruined during the conflict.

The militant faction demolished multiple ancient buildings and other structures at the ancient city, stating that they were against their beliefs. The cultural organization condemned the damage as a war crime.

Many artefacts were also destroyed or taken from historical locations and cultural institutions.