Valuable Statues Removed from the National Museum Located in Damascus
Historic sculptures and other artefacts have been taken from Syria's National Museum in Damascus, authorities report.
The robbery was discovered on Monday, when museum workers apparently found that a doorway had been damaged from the interior.
The six stolen pieces were crafted from marble and dated back to the Roman period, an authority informed the media outlet.
The nation's antiquities authority said it had opened an investigation to establish the "events surrounding the theft of a number of items", and that actions had been taken to strengthen safeguarding and monitoring systems.
The head of national security in the Damascus region, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was quoted by the official media as declaring that security forces were examining the robbery, which he said had affected several "historical artifacts and unique items".
He noted that guards at the museum and other individuals were being interrogated.
The Damascus Museum, which was established in 1919, holds the primary archaeological collection in the country.
It contains ancient inscribed tablets originating to the ancient era from an ancient city, where evidence of the oldest known complete alphabet was discovered; Greco-Roman period classical statues from the ancient city, one of the most important cultural centres of the historical period; and a third century Jewish temple that was constructed at an ancient location.
The museum was compelled to shut in the early 2010s, twelve months after the start of the devastating civil war. Most of the holdings was transferred and preserved at secure places to protect them.
It reopened partially in recent years and completely reopened in January 2025, one month after opposition groups overthrew Syria's former leader.
Each of the six of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were affected or significantly impacted during the internal struggle.
The Islamic State group blew up multiple temples and historical sites at the ancient city, claiming that they were against their beliefs. Unesco censured the demolition as a atrocity.
Numerous historical objects were also damaged or taken from historical locations and cultural institutions.