Historic Artifacts Taken from Syria's National Museum Located in Damascus
Valuable statues and additional items have been stolen from Syria's National Museum in the capital, officials say.
The robbery was discovered on Monday, when museum workers apparently found that one of the museum's doors had been broken from the interior.
The multiple stolen statues were marble creations and dated back to the ancient Roman times, a source informed the news agency.
Cultural heritage officials said it had launched a probe to establish the "circumstances surrounding the disappearance of a group of exhibits", and that steps had been taken to strengthen security and surveillance.
The chief of national security in the capital area, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was cited by the state-run Sana news agency as declaring that law enforcement were examining the incident, which he said had affected several "historical artifacts and unique items".
He noted that security personnel at the museum and other individuals were being interviewed.
The cultural institution, which was created in 1919, holds the most important historical artifacts in Syria.
It contains clay cuneiform tablets originating to the ancient era from Ugarit, where proof of the earliest writing system was found; 1st and 2nd Century AD ancient art from the ancient city, a significant historical locations of the classical era; and a third century synagogue that was established at Dura Europos.
The institution was compelled to shut in the early 2010s, twelve months after the outbreak of the destructive conflict. Most of the holdings was removed and stored at secret locations to protect them.
It began limited operations in recent years and completely reopened in early this year, four weeks after opposition groups removed President Bashar al-Assad.
Each of the six of nationally recognized sites were harmed or partially destroyed during the conflict.
The IS organization destroyed numerous temples and additional edifices at the archaeological site, stating that they were idolatrous. The cultural organization denounced the destruction as a violation.
Countless artefacts were also lost or taken from historical locations and collections.
