Ancient Sculptures Removed from the National Museum Located in Damascus
Historic statues and additional items have been stolen from the National Museum of Syria in Damascus, sources confirm.
The robbery was found on Monday, when employees reportedly found that an entrance had been forced from the inside.
The multiple stolen pieces were marble creations and traced back to the Roman era, one official informed the media outlet.
Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had initiated an inquiry to determine the "details surrounding the disappearance of a group of artifacts", and that actions had been enacted to enhance safeguarding and monitoring systems.
The head of national security in the Damascus region, General Osama Atkeh, was quoted by the government press as saying that law enforcement were investigating the incident, which he said had targeted several "ancient sculptures and rare collectibles".
He noted that museum protectors at the museum and additional people were being interviewed.
The National Museum, which was established in 1919, holds the primary cultural treasures in the country.
It contains clay cuneiform tablets originating to the Bronze Age from an ancient city, where proof of the oldest known complete alphabet was discovered; Greco-Roman period classical statues from historical site, among the foremost ancient sites of the ancient world; and a third century synagogue that was constructed at another archaeological site.
The institution was had to cease operations in the early 2010s, a year after the beginning of the destructive conflict. A large portion of the artifacts was removed and preserved at undisclosed sites to ensure their safety.
It partially resumed in recent years and returned to normal in early this year, a month after insurgents overthrew President Bashar al-Assad.
Each of the six of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were damaged or partially destroyed during the internal struggle.
The Islamic State group demolished numerous ancient buildings and historical sites at the archaeological site, asserting that they were un-Islamic. The cultural organization denounced the destruction as a war crime.
Numerous historical objects were also destroyed or taken from archaeological sites and collections.
