Historic Artifacts Removed from the National Museum Located in Damascus
Ancient artifacts and additional items have been taken from the National Museum of Syria in the capital, sources confirm.
The theft was found on the start of the week, when museum workers allegedly found that one of the museum's doors had been broken from the inside.
The six taken sculptures were made of marble and traced back to the Roman era, a source informed the Associated Press.
Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had initiated an inquiry to determine the "details surrounding the loss of a collection of artifacts", and that steps had been taken to improve security and monitoring systems.
The director of domestic security in the Damascus region, General Osama Atkeh, was cited by the state-run Sana news agency as stating that authorities were probing the incident, which he said had affected several "historical artifacts and valuable objects".
He noted that guards at the museum and other individuals were being interviewed.
The Damascus Museum, which was founded in 1919, houses the primary archaeological collection in Syria.
It features historical records tracing back to the ancient era from Ugarit, where indications of the most ancient complete alphabet was uncovered; Greco-Roman period classical statues from Palmyra, a significant historical locations of the historical period; and a 3rd Century AD synagogue that was constructed at Dura Europos.
The facility was forced to close in the early 2010s, one year after the start of the destructive conflict. The majority of the collection was removed and kept at undisclosed sites to ensure their safety.
It partially resumed in 2018 and completely reopened in early this year, four weeks after opposition groups removed the Assad regime.
Each of the six of the country's cultural landmarks were harmed or partly ruined during the internal struggle.
The militant faction demolished numerous ancient buildings and other structures at the ancient city, stating that they were against their beliefs. International authorities censured the damage as a atrocity.
Numerous artefacts were also destroyed or looted from archaeological sites and collections.
