Valuable Statues Removed from the National Museum Located in Damascus
Valuable sculptures and additional items have been taken from the National Museum of Syria in the capital, officials say.
The burglary was noticed on Monday, when employees apparently found that an entrance had been broken from the inside.
The half-dozen stolen sculptures were crafted from marble and originated to the Roman era, one official told the media outlet.
The nation's antiquities authority said it had launched a probe to identify the "details surrounding the loss of a collection of exhibits", and that steps had been taken to strengthen safeguarding and monitoring systems.
The chief of national security in the capital area, General Osama Atkeh, was referenced by the state-run Sana news agency as stating that security forces were examining the incident, which he said had targeted several "historical artifacts and unique items".
He added that guards at the museum and other persons were being interrogated.
The Damascus Museum, which was established in the early twentieth century, houses the primary cultural treasures in the country.
It contains clay cuneiform tablets tracing back to the 14th Century BC from Ugarit, where proof of the oldest known writing system was uncovered; early centuries CE classical statues from historical site, one of the most important historical locations of the ancient world; and a third century synagogue that was constructed at another archaeological site.
The facility was had to cease operations in the early 2010s, one year after the outbreak of the devastating civil war. The majority of the artifacts was transferred and preserved at secure places to safeguard them.
It partially resumed in recent years and returned to normal in the beginning of the year, four weeks after opposition groups removed Syria's former leader.
Each of the six of nationally recognized sites were harmed or significantly impacted during the conflict.
The IS organization destroyed multiple religious structures and other structures at Palmyra, claiming that they were against their beliefs. Unesco condemned the damage as a atrocity.
Many artefacts were also lost or taken from historical locations and cultural institutions.
