Historic Sculptures Removed from the National Museum Located in Damascus
Valuable statues and other artefacts have been removed from the National Museum of Syria in the capital, authorities report.
The burglary was noticed on Monday, when staff allegedly found that a doorway had been damaged from the inside.
The multiple taken pieces were crafted from marble and dated back to the ancient Roman times, an authority told the Associated Press.
Cultural heritage officials said it had initiated an inquiry to identify the "details surrounding the disappearance of a collection of artifacts", and that actions had been enacted to strengthen safeguarding and observation methods.
The director of internal security in the Damascus region, General Osama Atkeh, was quoted by the state-run Sana news agency as stating that law enforcement were investigating the robbery, which he said had focused on several "historical artifacts and valuable objects".
He added that guards at the institution and additional people were being interrogated.
The cultural institution, which was founded in the early twentieth century, contains the most important archaeological collection in the country.
It includes ancient inscribed tablets dating back to the ancient era from historical site, where evidence of the oldest known complete alphabet was discovered; Greco-Roman period Greco-Roman sculptures from historical site, among the foremost historical locations of the classical era; and a ancient religious building that was constructed at an ancient location.
The institution was forced to close in the early 2010s, twelve months after the start of the devastating civil war. The majority of the collection was removed and preserved at undisclosed sites to safeguard them.
It partially resumed in 2018 and completely reopened in the beginning of the year, four weeks after insurgents overthrew the Assad regime.
Every one of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were damaged or partially destroyed during the internal struggle.
The IS organization destroyed numerous religious structures and other structures at the archaeological site, claiming that they were against their beliefs. International authorities condemned the demolition as a war crime.
Many cultural items were also destroyed or looted from dig sites and museums.
