Historic Artifacts Stolen from Syria's National Museum Located in Damascus
Valuable sculptures and other artefacts have been removed from Syria's National Museum in the capital, authorities report.
The burglary was noticed on the start of the week, when museum workers allegedly found that one of the museum's doors had been damaged from the interior.
The half-dozen missing sculptures were made of marble and traced back to the Roman era, one official informed the media outlet.
Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had initiated an inquiry to identify the "circumstances surrounding the disappearance of a collection of artifacts", and that steps had been enacted to strengthen security and monitoring systems.
The director of internal security in the capital area, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was quoted by the government press as declaring that authorities were investigating the incident, which he said had targeted several "archaeological statues and rare collectibles".
He continued that museum protectors at the institution and additional people were being interrogated.
The cultural institution, which was founded in the early twentieth century, holds the significant cultural treasures in Syria.
It includes ancient inscribed tablets dating back to the ancient era from an ancient city, where evidence of the oldest known linguistic system was found; 1st and 2nd Century AD classical statues from historical site, a significant cultural centres of the ancient world; and a 3rd Century AD Jewish temple that was established at another archaeological site.
The museum was forced to close in the early 2010s, twelve months after the beginning of the internal strife. Most of the artifacts was evacuated and preserved at undisclosed sites to ensure their safety.
It began limited operations in 2018 and completely reopened in early this year, a month after insurgents deposed President Bashar al-Assad.
All six of the country's cultural landmarks were harmed or partially destroyed during the conflict.
The IS organization demolished several temples and additional edifices at the ancient city, stating that they were against their beliefs. The cultural organization denounced the damage as a violation.
Numerous cultural items were also destroyed or looted from archaeological sites and museums.
