Historic Statues Stolen from the National Museum Located in Damascus
Historic artifacts and cultural objects have been removed from Syria's National Museum in the capital, sources confirm.
The burglary was noticed on the start of the week, when employees apparently found that an entrance had been damaged from the interior.
The six taken pieces were crafted from marble and originated to the Roman era, an authority stated to the Associated Press.
The nation's antiquities authority said it had launched a probe to establish the "circumstances surrounding the theft of a group of items", and that actions had been enacted to enhance protection and monitoring systems.
The director of internal security in the Damascus region, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was quoted by the government press as saying that security forces were probing the robbery, which he said had targeted several "archaeological statues and unique items".
He added that museum protectors at the facility and additional people were being questioned.
The cultural institution, which was established in the early twentieth century, holds the significant cultural treasures in the country.
It features historical records tracing back to the ancient era from an ancient city, where evidence of the oldest known complete alphabet was uncovered; Greco-Roman period classical statues from historical site, a significant ancient sites of the ancient world; and a third century Jewish temple that was constructed at another archaeological site.
The museum was forced to close in the early 2010s, twelve months after the start of the destructive conflict. A large portion of the collection was transferred and kept at undisclosed sites to protect them.
It reopened partially in 2018 and completely reopened in the beginning of the year, four weeks after insurgents deposed President Bashar al-Assad.
Every one of the country's cultural landmarks were harmed or partly ruined during the internal struggle.
The IS organization demolished numerous ancient buildings and additional edifices at the ancient city, claiming that they were against their beliefs. The cultural organization condemned the destruction as a war crime.
Many artefacts were also lost or looted from archaeological sites and cultural institutions.
