Historic Sculptures Removed from the National Museum in Damascus
Historic artifacts and additional items have been removed from the National Museum of Syria in the capital, sources confirm.
The burglary was discovered on the start of the week, when employees reportedly found that a doorway had been broken from the inside.
The multiple stolen pieces were crafted from marble and traced back to the Roman period, a source stated to the news agency.
The nation's antiquities authority said it had opened an investigation to determine the "circumstances surrounding the loss of a group of exhibits", and that measures had been enacted to strengthen protection and observation methods.
The head of national security in Damascus province, Security Chief Atkeh, was referenced by the government press as declaring that authorities were probing the incident, which he said had focused on several "archaeological statues and unique items".
He added that guards at the institution and other persons were being questioned.
The National Museum, which was founded in 1919, houses the significant historical artifacts in the country.
It contains ancient inscribed tablets dating back to the 14th Century BC from historical site, where evidence of the oldest known 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 third century Jewish temple that was built at Dura Europos.
The facility was compelled to shut in the early 2010s, twelve months after the start of the internal strife. Most of the artifacts was evacuated and stored at undisclosed sites to safeguard them.
It partially resumed in recent years and completely reopened in the beginning of the year, four weeks after rebel forces overthrew President Bashar al-Assad.
Each of the six of the country's cultural landmarks were damaged or significantly impacted during the internal struggle.
The militant faction demolished several religious structures and other structures at the archaeological site, claiming that they were un-Islamic. International authorities censured the damage as a war crime.
Many artefacts were also destroyed or taken from archaeological sites and museums.
