Valuable Statues Taken from Syria's National Museum Located in Damascus

Historic sculptures and additional items have been stolen from the National Museum of Syria in Damascus, officials say.

The burglary was noticed on Monday, when employees reportedly found that a doorway had been forced from the inside.

The six taken pieces were marble creations and originated to the ancient Roman times, an authority stated to the news agency.

The nation's antiquities authority said it had opened an investigation to determine the "details surrounding the theft of a number of artifacts", and that measures had been implemented to enhance protection and observation methods.

The director of domestic security in the Damascus region, Security Chief Atkeh, was quoted by the official media as stating that authorities were probing the incident, which he said had focused on several "archaeological statues and rare collectibles".

He noted that security personnel at the facility and other individuals were being interrogated.

The Damascus Museum, which was created in the early twentieth century, holds the significant archaeological collection in Syria.

It contains historical records originating to the ancient era from historical site, where proof of the oldest known writing system was discovered; Greco-Roman period ancient art from the ancient city, one of the most important cultural centres of the historical period; and a third century Jewish temple that was established at an ancient location.

The facility was had to cease operations in the early 2010s, a year after the start of the internal strife. A large portion of the artifacts was transferred and kept at secure places to protect them.

It began limited operations in 2018 and completely reopened in early this year, one month after opposition groups overthrew the Assad regime.

All six of nationally recognized sites were affected or significantly impacted during the conflict.

The militant faction demolished numerous ancient buildings and other structures at the archaeological site, asserting that they were un-Islamic. Unesco denounced the destruction as a war crime.

Countless artefacts were also destroyed or stolen from historical locations and cultural institutions.