Valuable Sculptures Removed from the National Museum in Damascus
Valuable sculptures and cultural objects have been removed from the National Museum of Syria in Damascus, authorities report.
The robbery was found on Monday, when museum workers allegedly found that an entrance had been forced from the interior.
The half-dozen missing pieces were made of marble and traced back to the Roman era, a source told the news agency.
Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had initiated an inquiry to determine the "events surrounding the theft of a collection of artifacts", and that steps had been taken to improve protection and monitoring systems.
The director of national security in the Damascus region, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was referenced by the government press as stating that security forces were investigating the theft, which he said had affected several "archaeological statues and unique items".
He added that guards at the institution and additional people were being interrogated.
The Damascus Museum, which was created in 1919, holds the primary historical artifacts in Syria.
It includes ancient inscribed tablets dating back to the Bronze Age from historical site, where evidence of the earliest complete alphabet was discovered; Greco-Roman period Greco-Roman sculptures from historical site, a significant ancient sites of the classical era; and a 3rd Century AD synagogue that was established at Dura Europos.
The institution was had to cease operations in the early 2010s, twelve months after the start of the destructive conflict. Most of the artifacts was evacuated and kept at secret locations to safeguard them.
It partially resumed in recent years and returned to normal in January 2025, a month after rebel forces removed Syria's former leader.
Each of the six of the country's cultural landmarks were harmed or partially destroyed during the internal struggle.
The Islamic State group destroyed several temples and additional edifices at Palmyra, stating that they were un-Islamic. International authorities denounced the damage as a atrocity.
Countless artefacts were also destroyed or stolen from archaeological sites and cultural institutions.
