Ancient Statues Removed from the National Museum Located in Damascus

Valuable statues and cultural objects have been stolen from Syria's National Museum in Damascus, sources confirm.

The burglary was discovered on Monday, when staff allegedly found that an entrance had been damaged from the interior.

The multiple stolen sculptures were marble creations and traced back to the Roman period, an authority informed the media outlet.

Cultural heritage officials said it had opened an investigation to determine the "details surrounding the theft of a collection of artifacts", and that steps had been enacted to strengthen security and surveillance.

The chief of domestic security in the Damascus region, General Osama Atkeh, was quoted by the state-run Sana news agency as saying that authorities were investigating the incident, which he said had focused on several "ancient sculptures and valuable objects".

He continued that museum protectors at the institution and other individuals were being interviewed.

The National Museum, which was created in the early twentieth century, holds the primary cultural treasures in Syria.

It contains ancient inscribed tablets originating to the 14th Century BC from historical site, where evidence of the oldest known complete alphabet was found; early centuries CE Greco-Roman sculptures from historical site, one of the most important cultural centres of the classical era; and a 3rd Century AD religious building that was established at another archaeological site.

The facility was had to cease operations in 2012, a year after the outbreak of the devastating civil war. Most of the artifacts was transferred and stored at undisclosed sites to protect them.

It partially resumed in 2018 and completely reopened in early this year, four weeks after opposition groups overthrew Syria's former leader.

Every one of nationally recognized sites were affected or partially destroyed during the internal struggle.

The IS organization blew up multiple ancient buildings and additional edifices at the ancient city, asserting that they were against their beliefs. International authorities condemned the damage as a war crime.

Countless cultural items were also lost or stolen from dig sites and collections.