Ancient Statues Taken from Syria's National Museum Located in Damascus
Ancient statues and cultural objects have been removed from the National Museum of Syria in Damascus, officials say.
The burglary was discovered on the start of the week, when museum workers reportedly found that an entrance had been broken from the inside.
The half-dozen stolen statues were crafted from marble and dated back to the Roman era, one official stated to the Associated Press.
Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had opened an investigation to determine the "events surrounding the loss of a collection of exhibits", and that steps had been enacted to improve safeguarding and monitoring systems.
The chief of internal security in the Damascus region, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was referenced by the official media as stating that law enforcement were investigating the incident, which he said had targeted several "archaeological statues and rare collectibles".
He continued that guards at the institution and other persons were being interviewed.
The cultural institution, which was established in the early twentieth century, houses the primary historical artifacts in the country.
It includes clay cuneiform tablets originating to the ancient era from Ugarit, where indications of the most ancient writing system was found; Greco-Roman period Greco-Roman sculptures from historical site, one of the most important historical locations of the classical era; and a ancient religious building that was constructed at another archaeological site.
The facility was forced to close in the early 2010s, twelve months after the outbreak of the internal strife. A large portion of the holdings was transferred and kept at undisclosed sites to protect them.
It partially resumed in 2018 and returned to normal in early this year, four weeks after opposition groups deposed President Bashar al-Assad.
All six of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were damaged or partially destroyed during the internal struggle.
The militant faction blew up several temples and historical sites at Palmyra, asserting that they were against their beliefs. International authorities censured the damage as a violation.
Numerous artefacts were also lost or looted from archaeological sites and cultural institutions.
