Valuable Statues Removed from the National Museum in Damascus
Historic artifacts and other artefacts have been removed from Syria's National Museum in Damascus, officials say.
The theft was found on the start of the week, when museum workers apparently found that an entrance had been damaged from the interior.
The half-dozen stolen pieces were marble creations and originated to the Roman era, one official informed the news agency.
Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had opened an investigation to identify the "events surrounding the disappearance of a group of items", and that steps had been taken to enhance safeguarding and surveillance.
The chief of internal security in the Damascus region, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was quoted by the state-run Sana news agency as stating that security forces were examining the theft, which he said had focused on several "archaeological statues and unique items".
He noted that security personnel at the institution and additional people were being interrogated.
The cultural institution, which was founded in the early twentieth century, holds the significant archaeological collection in Syria.
It includes ancient inscribed tablets dating back to the ancient era from historical site, where proof of the most ancient writing system was discovered; 1st and 2nd Century AD classical statues from historical site, one of the most important ancient sites of the ancient world; and a third century synagogue that was built at another archaeological site.
The institution was compelled to shut in the early 2010s, a year after the start of the internal strife. The majority of the artifacts was evacuated and preserved at undisclosed sites to protect them.
It partially resumed in 2018 and resumed full operations in January 2025, one month after opposition groups removed Syria's former leader.
Each of the six of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were damaged or partially destroyed during the conflict.
The IS organization blew up several religious structures and historical sites at the ancient city, asserting that they were idolatrous. Unesco denounced the destruction as a atrocity.
Countless historical objects were also damaged or looted from archaeological sites and cultural institutions.
