Valuable Sculptures Removed from Syria's National Museum Located in Damascus
Historic sculptures and other artefacts have been removed from Syria's National Museum in Damascus, sources confirm.
The robbery was noticed on Monday, when employees reportedly found that an entrance had been damaged from the inside.
The six stolen pieces were crafted from marble and traced back to the Roman era, an authority stated to the Associated Press.
The nation's antiquities authority said it had initiated an inquiry to determine the "events surrounding the loss of a collection of exhibits", and that measures had been implemented to improve protection and surveillance.
The chief of domestic security in Damascus province, General Osama Atkeh, was quoted by the official media as saying that authorities were probing the incident, which he said had targeted several "ancient sculptures and valuable objects".
He noted that security personnel at the museum and other individuals were being interrogated.
The cultural institution, which was created in 1919, holds the primary cultural treasures in Syria.
It features ancient inscribed tablets tracing back to the 14th Century BC from an ancient city, where indications of the earliest writing system was discovered; 1st and 2nd Century AD Greco-Roman sculptures from Palmyra, among the foremost ancient sites of the historical period; and a ancient synagogue that was established at another archaeological site.
The facility was forced to close in the early 2010s, twelve months after the start of the devastating civil war. A large portion of the holdings was transferred and preserved at secure places to ensure their safety.
It began limited operations in 2018 and resumed full operations in early this year, a month after rebel forces overthrew the Assad regime.
All six of the country's cultural landmarks were affected or partly ruined during the civil war.
The Islamic State group destroyed several religious structures and other structures at the archaeological site, claiming that they were idolatrous. Unesco denounced the damage as a war crime.
Many artefacts were also lost or looted from dig sites and collections.
