Historic Statues Stolen from Syria's National Museum in Damascus
Ancient sculptures and additional items have been taken from the National Museum of Syria in Damascus, sources confirm.
The burglary was discovered on Monday, when museum workers allegedly found that one of the museum's doors had been forced from the interior.
The half-dozen taken pieces were made of marble and dated back to the ancient Roman times, an authority informed the media outlet.
Cultural heritage officials said it had opened an investigation to determine the "events surrounding the disappearance of a group of items", and that measures had been enacted to enhance safeguarding and observation methods.
The director of internal security in the capital area, Security Chief Atkeh, was cited by the official media as stating that law enforcement were examining the theft, which he said had focused on several "historical artifacts and valuable objects".
He noted that security personnel at the institution and additional people were being interrogated.
The Damascus Museum, which was established in the early twentieth century, contains the most important archaeological collection in the country.
It features historical records originating to the ancient era from an ancient city, where evidence of the earliest complete alphabet was uncovered; Greco-Roman period Greco-Roman sculptures from historical site, one of the most important ancient sites of the historical period; and a ancient synagogue that was built at an ancient location.
The museum was had to cease operations in the early 2010s, twelve months after the beginning of the internal strife. Most of the collection was evacuated and preserved at undisclosed sites to ensure their safety.
It partially resumed in 2018 and resumed full operations in early this year, a month after opposition groups removed the Assad regime.
Every one of nationally recognized sites were damaged or partly ruined during the internal struggle.
The militant faction blew up numerous ancient buildings and other structures at Palmyra, asserting that they were idolatrous. Unesco denounced the demolition as a violation.
Numerous cultural items were also lost or taken from historical locations and cultural institutions.
