Historic Statues Removed from the National Museum Located in Damascus
Valuable sculptures and additional items have been stolen from Syria's National Museum in the capital, authorities report.
The burglary was discovered on Monday, when employees reportedly found that one of the museum's doors had been damaged from the interior.
The multiple missing statues were made of marble and traced back to the ancient Roman times, an authority informed the media outlet.
Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had launched a probe to identify the "details surrounding the theft of a collection of items", and that actions had been taken to enhance protection and surveillance.
The head of domestic security in Damascus province, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was cited by the state-run Sana news agency as saying that law enforcement were probing the incident, which he said had focused on several "historical artifacts and rare collectibles".
He continued that security personnel at the facility and additional people were being interviewed.
The National Museum, which was founded in the early twentieth century, holds the significant archaeological collection in Syria.
It contains historical records tracing back to the Bronze Age from historical site, where evidence of the most ancient writing system was discovered; Greco-Roman period classical statues from the ancient city, a significant ancient sites of the classical era; and a third century Jewish temple that was built at another archaeological site.
The institution was compelled to shut in 2012, a year after the beginning of the destructive conflict. A large portion of the holdings was evacuated and stored at secure places to ensure their safety.
It reopened partially in 2018 and returned to normal in early this year, four weeks after insurgents deposed President Bashar al-Assad.
Each of the six of the country's cultural landmarks were harmed or significantly impacted during the conflict.
The Islamic State group demolished multiple temples and historical sites at the ancient city, claiming that they were idolatrous. The cultural organization censured the destruction as a atrocity.
Many cultural items were also lost or stolen from archaeological sites and cultural institutions.
