Valuable Statues Stolen from Syria's National Museum Located in Damascus
Ancient sculptures and cultural objects have been taken from the National Museum of Syria in Damascus, officials say.
The theft was noticed on Monday, when staff allegedly found that one of the museum's doors had been damaged from the interior.
The six stolen sculptures were marble creations and originated to the Roman period, one official told the news agency.
Cultural heritage officials said it had launched a probe to identify the "events surrounding the disappearance of a group of items", and that steps had been enacted to strengthen security and surveillance.
The director of internal security in the capital area, Security Chief Atkeh, was referenced by the government press as declaring that authorities were probing the theft, which he said had affected several "historical artifacts and rare collectibles".
He continued that guards at the institution and other individuals were being interviewed.
The National Museum, which was created in 1919, houses the significant cultural treasures in the country.
It includes clay cuneiform tablets dating back to the ancient era from Ugarit, where proof of the earliest linguistic system was discovered; Greco-Roman period ancient art from the ancient city, among the foremost cultural centres of the ancient world; and a ancient religious building that was established at another archaeological site.
The museum was forced to close in 2012, twelve months after the outbreak of the devastating civil war. The majority of the collection was transferred and kept at secure places to safeguard them.
It began limited operations in recent years and returned to normal in early this year, four weeks after insurgents overthrew the Assad regime.
Every one of nationally recognized sites were affected or partially destroyed during the civil war.
The militant faction destroyed multiple temples and historical sites at the ancient city, asserting that they were un-Islamic. Unesco condemned the destruction as a atrocity.
Numerous historical objects were also destroyed or taken from historical locations and collections.
