Ancient Statues Taken from Syria's National Museum Located in Damascus
Historic sculptures and additional items have been taken from Syria's National Museum in the capital, officials say.
The burglary was found on Monday, when museum workers allegedly found that a doorway had been forced from the interior.
The multiple missing pieces were made of marble and originated to the Roman period, an authority told the media outlet.
Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had initiated an inquiry to determine the "details surrounding the theft of a collection of artifacts", and that steps had been taken to strengthen safeguarding and monitoring systems.
The head of internal security in the Damascus region, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was referenced by the government press as saying that law enforcement were investigating the theft, which he said had affected several "historical artifacts and valuable objects".
He added that guards at the institution and other individuals were being interrogated.
The National Museum, which was founded in 1919, houses the most important cultural treasures in the country.
It includes historical records originating to the 14th Century BC from Ugarit, where indications of the oldest known linguistic system was found; 1st and 2nd Century AD classical statues from the ancient city, one of the most important cultural centres of the classical era; and a third century synagogue that was established at another archaeological site.
The museum was forced to close in the early 2010s, a year after the outbreak of the devastating civil war. A large portion of the collection was removed and preserved at secret locations to ensure their safety.
It partially resumed in 2018 and completely reopened in early this year, four weeks after insurgents removed the Assad regime.
Every one of the country's cultural landmarks were affected or significantly impacted during the civil war.
The Islamic State group demolished several temples and additional edifices at the archaeological site, asserting that they were against their beliefs. Unesco denounced the demolition as a war crime.
Numerous historical objects were also destroyed or stolen from historical locations and cultural institutions.
