Valuable Artifacts Removed from Syria's National Museum Located in Damascus
Historic statues and cultural objects have been taken from Syria's National Museum in the capital, authorities report.
The theft was found on the start of the week, when employees apparently found that one of the museum's doors had been broken from the inside.
The multiple taken statues were marble creations and traced back to the Roman period, a source informed the news agency.
Cultural heritage officials said it had opened an investigation to identify the "circumstances surrounding the disappearance of a collection of items", and that measures had been taken to strengthen security and observation methods.
The head of domestic security in the Damascus region, Security Chief Atkeh, was referenced by the state-run Sana news agency as declaring that authorities were examining the robbery, which he said had targeted several "archaeological statues and unique items".
He added that museum protectors at the institution and additional people were being interviewed.
The Damascus Museum, which was established in 1919, houses the significant historical artifacts in the country.
It contains ancient inscribed tablets tracing back to the Bronze Age from Ugarit, where indications of the earliest writing system was found; Greco-Roman period classical statues from the ancient city, a significant historical locations of the ancient world; and a 3rd Century AD Jewish temple that was constructed at Dura Europos.
The museum was had to cease operations in the early 2010s, twelve months after the beginning of the internal strife. A large portion of the holdings was transferred and preserved at secure places to safeguard them.
It partially resumed in recent years and resumed full operations in the beginning of the year, one month after opposition groups overthrew the Assad regime.
All six of nationally recognized sites were harmed or partially destroyed during the internal struggle.
The Islamic State group destroyed multiple religious structures and other structures at Palmyra, claiming that they were un-Islamic. International authorities censured the damage as a war crime.
Numerous artefacts were also destroyed or taken from historical locations and museums.
