Valuable Statues Taken from Syria's National Museum Located in Damascus
Historic statues and cultural objects have been taken from the National Museum of Syria in the capital, sources confirm.
The burglary was noticed on the start of the week, when museum workers allegedly found that a doorway had been broken from the interior.
The half-dozen taken statues were marble creations and traced back to the Roman era, a source informed the news agency.
Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had initiated an inquiry to establish the "circumstances surrounding the loss of a collection of exhibits", and that measures had been enacted to strengthen security and monitoring systems.
The chief of national security in Damascus province, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was quoted by the government press as stating that security forces were examining the incident, which he said had focused on several "historical artifacts and valuable objects".
He noted that guards at the facility and other persons were being interviewed.
The cultural institution, which was founded in 1919, houses the most important archaeological collection in the country.
It contains historical records tracing back to the Bronze Age from Ugarit, where evidence of the oldest known complete alphabet was found; early centuries CE Greco-Roman sculptures from historical site, among the foremost historical locations of the historical period; and a 3rd Century AD synagogue that was established at Dura Europos.
The institution was forced to close in the early 2010s, a year after the outbreak of the devastating civil war. A large portion of the holdings was transferred and preserved at secret locations to ensure their safety.
It reopened partially in 2018 and completely reopened in the beginning of the year, a month after rebel forces overthrew President Bashar al-Assad.
Every one of the country's cultural landmarks were damaged or partially destroyed during the civil war.
The Islamic State group destroyed multiple ancient buildings and additional edifices at the archaeological site, asserting that they were idolatrous. International authorities censured the destruction as a war crime.
Countless artefacts were also destroyed or stolen from historical locations and cultural institutions.
