Valuable Sculptures Removed from Syria's National Museum Located in Damascus
Ancient sculptures and other artefacts have been removed from the National Museum of Syria in Damascus, sources confirm.
The robbery was noticed on the start of the week, when staff apparently found that one of the museum's doors had been damaged from the inside.
The six stolen pieces were crafted from marble and dated back to the Roman period, an authority informed the media outlet.
Cultural heritage officials said it had opened an investigation to determine the "details surrounding the disappearance of a collection of exhibits", and that steps had been taken to improve safeguarding and monitoring systems.
The head of national security in the Damascus region, Security Chief Atkeh, was cited by the state-run Sana news agency as declaring that law enforcement were investigating the robbery, which he said had affected several "archaeological statues and unique items".
He continued that security personnel at the institution and other individuals were being interviewed.
The National Museum, which was founded in 1919, holds the most important historical artifacts in the country.
It features ancient inscribed tablets tracing back to the Bronze Age from Ugarit, where indications of the oldest known writing system was uncovered; Greco-Roman period ancient art from the ancient city, among the foremost cultural centres of the historical period; and a ancient Jewish temple that was constructed at Dura Europos.
The institution was compelled to shut in 2012, a year after the beginning of the internal strife. The majority of the collection was removed and preserved at undisclosed sites to safeguard them.
It partially resumed in recent years and completely reopened in the beginning of the year, a month after opposition groups removed the Assad regime.
All six of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were affected or significantly impacted during the conflict.
The IS organization destroyed multiple ancient buildings and additional edifices at Palmyra, claiming that they were un-Islamic. Unesco censured the damage as a violation.
Countless artefacts were also destroyed or looted from historical locations and cultural institutions.
