Valuable Statues Removed from Syria's National Museum in Damascus

Valuable statues and other artefacts have been taken from the National Museum of Syria in the capital, authorities report.

The burglary was found on the start of the week, when employees allegedly found that a doorway had been forced from the inside.

The half-dozen taken statues were crafted from marble and dated back to the ancient Roman times, a source stated to the media outlet.

The nation's antiquities authority said it had opened an investigation to determine the "events surrounding the theft of a collection of exhibits", and that steps had been taken to enhance safeguarding and surveillance.

The head of internal security in the Damascus region, Security Chief Atkeh, was referenced by the government press as stating that authorities were investigating the robbery, which he said had affected several "historical artifacts and valuable objects".

He noted that security personnel at the institution and other individuals were being questioned.

The National Museum, which was established in the early twentieth century, contains the most important archaeological collection in Syria.

It contains ancient inscribed tablets tracing back to the 14th Century BC from historical site, where proof of the oldest known writing system was uncovered; Greco-Roman period classical statues from Palmyra, one of the most important ancient sites of the historical period; and a third century synagogue that was constructed at another archaeological site.

The museum was forced to close in the early 2010s, a year after the beginning of the destructive conflict. Most of the collection was transferred and stored at secure places to safeguard them.

It reopened partially in 2018 and returned to normal in the beginning of the year, four weeks after insurgents deposed the Assad regime.

Each of the six of the country's cultural landmarks were damaged or significantly impacted during the internal struggle.

The militant faction blew up multiple ancient buildings and other structures at Palmyra, stating that they were against their beliefs. The cultural organization denounced the damage as a atrocity.

Numerous historical objects were also destroyed or looted from archaeological sites and museums.