Historic Sculptures Stolen from Syria's National Museum Located in Damascus
Historic statues and cultural objects have been removed from Syria's National Museum in the capital, sources confirm.
The burglary was found on the start of the week, when employees apparently found that a doorway had been forced from the interior.
The half-dozen missing sculptures were made of marble and originated to the Roman period, a source told the media outlet.
Cultural heritage officials said it had opened an investigation to establish the "circumstances surrounding the loss of a collection of items", and that actions had been implemented to strengthen security and observation methods.
The chief of internal security in the capital area, Security Chief Atkeh, was quoted by the official media as saying that law enforcement were probing the theft, which he said had targeted several "archaeological statues and valuable objects".
He noted that museum protectors at the institution and other persons were being interrogated.
The Damascus Museum, which was founded in the early twentieth century, holds the primary historical artifacts in Syria.
It contains ancient inscribed tablets tracing back to the Bronze Age from Ugarit, where indications of the oldest known writing system was found; early centuries CE ancient art from Palmyra, a significant cultural centres of the ancient world; and a third century synagogue that was built at an ancient location.
The facility was compelled to shut in the early 2010s, twelve months after the beginning of the devastating civil war. Most of the artifacts was evacuated and preserved at secret locations to protect them.
It began limited operations in 2018 and completely reopened in early this year, one month after rebel forces removed Syria's former leader.
All six of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were affected or significantly impacted during the internal struggle.
The IS organization destroyed numerous religious structures and additional edifices at Palmyra, claiming that they were idolatrous. The cultural organization condemned the demolition as a war crime.
Countless historical objects were also damaged or looted from dig sites and collections.
