Valuable Artifacts Removed from the National Museum Located in Damascus
Ancient artifacts and additional items have been removed from Syria's National Museum in Damascus, authorities report.
The robbery was noticed on Monday, when museum workers allegedly found that a doorway had been broken from the interior.
The six stolen statues were marble creations and originated to the Roman era, one official informed the media outlet.
Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had opened an investigation to identify the "details surrounding the theft of a collection of items", and that actions had been enacted to enhance security and monitoring systems.
The head of internal security in the capital area, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was cited by the government press as declaring that security forces were investigating the theft, which he said had focused on several "archaeological statues and valuable objects".
He added that guards at the institution and other persons were being interrogated.
The cultural institution, which was founded in the early twentieth century, houses the most important historical artifacts in the country.
It includes clay cuneiform tablets originating to the ancient era from historical site, where proof of the earliest linguistic system was found; early centuries CE classical statues from the ancient city, among the foremost ancient sites of the ancient world; and a 3rd Century AD religious building that was constructed at Dura Europos.
The facility was forced to close in 2012, twelve months after the beginning of the internal strife. Most of the collection was transferred and kept at undisclosed sites to protect them.
It partially resumed in 2018 and completely reopened in early this year, four weeks after insurgents deposed Syria's former leader.
Every one of nationally recognized sites were harmed or significantly impacted during the internal struggle.
The Islamic State group demolished several religious structures and historical sites at the archaeological site, claiming that they were un-Islamic. International authorities denounced the demolition as a atrocity.
Many cultural items were also damaged or stolen from archaeological sites and museums.
