Valuable Artifacts Stolen from the National Museum Located in Damascus
Historic statues and other artefacts have been taken from Syria's National Museum in Damascus, officials say.
The robbery was discovered on Monday, when staff reportedly found that one of the museum's doors had been broken from the inside.
The multiple missing statues were made of marble and traced back to the Roman period, an authority told the media outlet.
Cultural heritage officials said it had launched a probe to identify the "details surrounding the loss of a collection of exhibits", and that actions had been implemented to strengthen safeguarding and surveillance.
The chief of internal security in the capital area, General Osama Atkeh, was referenced by the official media as declaring that law enforcement were investigating the robbery, which he said had affected several "historical artifacts and unique items".
He added that guards at the museum and other persons were being questioned.
The cultural institution, which was established in the early twentieth century, holds the significant cultural treasures in the country.
It includes ancient inscribed tablets dating back to the ancient era from Ugarit, where indications of the most ancient complete alphabet was found; early centuries CE classical statues from the ancient city, among the foremost historical locations of the classical era; and a 3rd Century AD Jewish temple that was constructed at an ancient location.
The museum was had to cease operations in the early 2010s, one year after the beginning of the devastating civil war. Most of the holdings was removed and kept at undisclosed sites to ensure their safety.
It partially resumed in recent years and resumed full operations in the beginning of the year, one month after insurgents deposed the Assad regime.
Every one of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were harmed or significantly impacted during the internal struggle.
The IS organization demolished several ancient buildings and additional edifices at the archaeological site, claiming that they were un-Islamic. The cultural organization denounced the demolition as a atrocity.
Many historical objects were also lost or taken from archaeological sites and collections.
