Valuable Sculptures Stolen from the National Museum Located in Damascus
Historic statues and cultural objects have been stolen from Syria's National Museum in the capital, officials say.
The burglary was found on Monday, when employees reportedly found that one of the museum's doors had been broken from the interior.
The multiple taken sculptures were crafted from marble and traced back to the Roman era, a source told the media outlet.
Cultural heritage officials said it had opened an investigation to establish the "events surrounding the disappearance of a number of artifacts", and that actions had been taken to improve protection and monitoring systems.
The chief of internal security in the capital area, General Osama Atkeh, was cited by the official media as saying that security forces were probing the theft, which he said had targeted several "ancient sculptures and unique items".
He continued that museum protectors at the institution and other persons were being interviewed.
The National Museum, which was established in the early twentieth century, holds the most important cultural treasures in the country.
It features ancient inscribed tablets originating to the 14th Century BC from Ugarit, where proof of the oldest known writing system was discovered; 1st and 2nd Century AD ancient art from historical site, a significant ancient sites of the classical era; and a third century Jewish temple that was built at an ancient location.
The institution was had to cease operations in 2012, a year after the outbreak of the destructive conflict. A large portion of the holdings was removed and stored at secure places to safeguard them.
It partially resumed in recent years and resumed full operations in early this year, a month after rebel forces overthrew President Bashar al-Assad.
Every one of nationally recognized sites were harmed or partly ruined during the civil war.
The Islamic State group blew up multiple temples and other structures at the ancient city, claiming that they were idolatrous. The cultural organization denounced the demolition as a war crime.
Many historical objects were also destroyed or taken from dig sites and museums.
