Historic Sculptures Removed from the National Museum Located in Damascus
Ancient artifacts and additional items have been taken from Syria's National Museum in Damascus, authorities report.
The theft was found on the start of the week, when staff allegedly found that one of the museum's doors had been broken from the interior.
The half-dozen taken pieces were made of marble and traced back to the ancient Roman times, a source informed the news agency.
Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had initiated an inquiry to establish the "details surrounding the theft of a group of items", and that actions had been taken to improve security and surveillance.
The head of national security in the Damascus region, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was cited by the official media as stating that law enforcement were probing the theft, which he said had affected several "ancient sculptures and unique items".
He noted that guards at the institution and other individuals were being interrogated.
The Damascus Museum, which was founded in the early twentieth century, houses the most important cultural treasures in Syria.
It contains clay cuneiform tablets originating to the ancient era from historical site, where indications of the oldest known complete alphabet was uncovered; Greco-Roman period classical statues from the ancient city, one of the most important ancient sites of the historical period; and a third century Jewish temple that was built at another archaeological site.
The institution was forced to close in 2012, twelve months after the outbreak of the devastating civil war. Most of the holdings was removed and stored at secure places to protect them.
It began limited operations in recent years and resumed full operations in the beginning of the year, a month after opposition groups deposed the Assad regime.
Every one of the country's cultural landmarks were damaged or partly ruined during the internal struggle.
The Islamic State group demolished multiple religious structures and other structures at Palmyra, stating that they were idolatrous. The cultural organization censured the demolition as a war crime.
Numerous cultural items were also damaged or stolen from archaeological sites and collections.
