Valuable Statues Taken from the National Museum Located in Damascus
Ancient artifacts and additional items have been taken from the National Museum of Syria in the capital, authorities report.
The theft was discovered on Monday, when employees reportedly found that one of the museum's doors had been broken from the interior.
The multiple missing statues were marble creations and traced back to the Roman period, one official informed the Associated Press.
Cultural heritage officials said it had initiated an inquiry to establish the "details surrounding the disappearance of a collection of exhibits", and that measures had been implemented to improve safeguarding and observation methods.
The head of national security in the Damascus region, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was quoted by the government press as stating that authorities were investigating the theft, which he said had focused on several "historical artifacts and unique items".
He added that guards at the institution and other individuals were being interviewed.
The cultural institution, which was created in 1919, holds the primary historical artifacts in Syria.
It features historical records originating to the Bronze Age from an ancient city, where evidence of the oldest known complete alphabet was found; 1st and 2nd Century AD ancient art from Palmyra, among the foremost ancient sites of the ancient world; and a ancient synagogue that was constructed at another archaeological site.
The museum was compelled to shut in the early 2010s, a year after the start of the internal strife. Most of the artifacts was evacuated and kept at secure places to ensure their safety.
It reopened partially in 2018 and resumed full operations in early this year, a month after insurgents overthrew President Bashar al-Assad.
Each of the six of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were damaged or partially destroyed during the internal struggle.
The militant faction demolished multiple ancient buildings and additional edifices at Palmyra, asserting that they were against their beliefs. The cultural organization censured the destruction as a violation.
Countless artefacts were also damaged or looted from dig sites and collections.
