Ancient Artifacts Taken from Syria's National Museum Located in Damascus
Valuable sculptures and additional items have been stolen from the National Museum of Syria in Damascus, officials say.
The theft was noticed on Monday, when museum workers apparently found that a doorway had been broken from the interior.
The multiple missing statues were marble creations and traced back to the Roman period, one official told the news agency.
The nation's antiquities authority said it had opened an investigation to identify the "events surrounding the disappearance of a number of exhibits", and that actions had been taken to improve safeguarding and surveillance.
The director of national security in the capital area, Security Chief Atkeh, was quoted by the state-run Sana news agency as declaring that authorities were investigating the robbery, which he said had focused on several "historical artifacts and unique items".
He added that guards at the museum and other persons were being interrogated.
The National Museum, which was established in 1919, contains the most important historical artifacts in the country.
It contains ancient inscribed tablets tracing back to the ancient era from an ancient city, where proof of the oldest known writing system was uncovered; Greco-Roman period ancient art from Palmyra, a significant historical locations of the ancient world; and a third century synagogue that was built at Dura Europos.
The institution was forced to close in the early 2010s, a year after the start of the destructive conflict. A large portion of the artifacts was evacuated and kept at undisclosed sites to safeguard them.
It reopened partially in 2018 and completely reopened in the beginning of the year, four weeks after insurgents deposed Syria's former leader.
All six of nationally recognized sites were harmed or significantly impacted during the internal struggle.
The IS organization destroyed numerous temples and historical sites at the archaeological site, asserting that they were un-Islamic. The cultural organization denounced the destruction as a war crime.
Numerous historical objects were also lost or taken from dig sites and collections.
