Historic Artifacts Stolen from the National Museum Located in Damascus
Ancient statues and additional items have been removed from Syria's National Museum in the capital, officials say.
The theft was noticed on the start of the week, when museum workers reportedly found that a doorway had been damaged from the interior.
The multiple taken statues were crafted from marble and originated to the Roman period, a source told the media outlet.
Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had launched a probe to determine the "circumstances surrounding the theft of a group of items", and that measures had been implemented to improve safeguarding and observation methods.
The director of internal security in Damascus province, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was quoted by the government press as declaring that law enforcement were investigating the theft, which he said had targeted several "archaeological statues and valuable objects".
He continued that museum protectors at the institution and other persons were being interrogated.
The Damascus Museum, which was created in the early twentieth century, houses the primary historical artifacts in the country.
It features clay cuneiform tablets dating back to the Bronze Age from historical site, where indications of the most ancient linguistic system was uncovered; 1st and 2nd Century AD classical statues from the ancient city, one of the most important cultural centres of the historical period; and a ancient Jewish temple that was constructed at Dura Europos.
The museum was forced to close in the early 2010s, a year after the outbreak of the internal strife. A large portion of the holdings was removed and stored at secure places to safeguard them.
It reopened partially in 2018 and returned to normal in the beginning of the year, a month after insurgents removed President Bashar al-Assad.
Every one of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were damaged or partially destroyed during the conflict.
The IS organization blew up several ancient buildings and historical sites at the ancient city, claiming that they were against their beliefs. The cultural organization denounced the damage as a war crime.
Numerous cultural items were also destroyed or looted from historical locations and cultural institutions.
