Ancient Statues Stolen from the National Museum Located in Damascus
Ancient sculptures and other artefacts have been taken from the National Museum of Syria in Damascus, sources confirm.
The robbery was noticed on the start of the week, when staff reportedly found that one of the museum's doors had been damaged from the interior.
The six missing sculptures were crafted from marble and dated back to the ancient Roman times, one official informed the media outlet.
Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had launched a probe to identify the "circumstances surrounding the loss of a number of artifacts", and that steps had been enacted to strengthen safeguarding and monitoring systems.
The head of internal security in the capital area, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was cited by the state-run Sana news agency as saying that authorities were investigating the incident, which he said had targeted several "archaeological statues and unique items".
He continued that guards at the facility and other persons were being interrogated.
The National Museum, which was established in 1919, houses the most important archaeological collection in Syria.
It features ancient inscribed tablets dating back to the 14th Century BC from historical site, where indications of the oldest known complete alphabet was discovered; 1st and 2nd Century AD ancient art from the ancient city, a significant historical locations of the ancient world; and a third century Jewish temple that was constructed at another archaeological site.
The facility was had to cease operations in 2012, twelve months after the beginning of the destructive conflict. Most of the artifacts was transferred and preserved at secret locations to ensure their safety.
It partially resumed in 2018 and resumed full operations in the beginning of the year, four weeks after insurgents deposed the Assad regime.
Each of the six of the country's cultural landmarks were damaged or partially destroyed during the internal struggle.
The IS organization demolished multiple ancient buildings and historical sites at the archaeological site, claiming that they were idolatrous. International authorities condemned the demolition as a atrocity.
Countless historical objects were also destroyed or looted from dig sites and cultural institutions.