Valuable Sculptures Taken from the National Museum Located in Damascus
Valuable sculptures and additional items have been taken from the National Museum of Syria in Damascus, sources confirm.
The robbery was found on the start of the week, when staff reportedly found that one of the museum's doors had been forced from the inside.
The multiple missing statues were made of marble and traced back to the Roman period, a source stated to the media outlet.
The nation's antiquities authority said it had initiated an inquiry to identify the "circumstances surrounding the loss of a collection of artifacts", and that actions had been enacted to enhance security and surveillance.
The chief of national security in the Damascus region, General Osama Atkeh, was cited by the government press as stating that authorities were probing the theft, which he said had affected several "archaeological statues and rare collectibles".
He noted that guards at the institution and other individuals were being interrogated.
The Damascus Museum, which was created in the early twentieth century, contains the significant historical artifacts in the country.
It contains historical records originating to the Bronze Age from an ancient city, where evidence of the earliest complete alphabet was found; 1st and 2nd Century AD classical statues from Palmyra, a significant historical locations of the historical period; and a third century synagogue that was established at Dura Europos.
The facility was compelled to shut in the early 2010s, twelve months after the outbreak of the devastating civil war. Most of the holdings was evacuated and preserved at undisclosed sites to ensure their safety.
It partially resumed in 2018 and returned to normal in the beginning of the year, one month after rebel forces deposed the Assad regime.
All six of the country's cultural landmarks were harmed or significantly impacted during the internal struggle.
The militant faction blew up multiple temples and other structures at the ancient city, asserting that they were un-Islamic. The cultural organization condemned the demolition as a violation.
Numerous cultural items were also damaged or taken from dig sites and cultural institutions.
