Historic Artifacts Stolen from the National Museum Located in Damascus
Valuable sculptures and other artefacts have been removed from Syria's National Museum in Damascus, sources confirm.
The robbery was noticed on the start of the week, when museum workers reportedly found that one of the museum's doors had been forced from the interior.
The multiple stolen pieces were made of marble and originated to the Roman era, a source stated to the media outlet.
Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had launched a probe to establish the "details surrounding the disappearance of a number of artifacts", and that measures had been taken to improve security and observation methods.
The head of internal security in the capital area, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was cited by the government press as saying that law enforcement were probing the incident, which he said had affected several "historical artifacts and valuable objects".
He added that guards at the museum and other individuals were being interviewed.
The cultural institution, which was created in 1919, houses the most important cultural treasures in the country.
It includes ancient inscribed tablets originating to the ancient era from an ancient city, where evidence of the most ancient complete alphabet was found; Greco-Roman period classical statues from Palmyra, among the foremost historical locations of the historical period; and a third century Jewish temple that was established at another archaeological site.
The museum was forced to close in the early 2010s, twelve months after the beginning of the internal strife. Most of the collection was evacuated and preserved at undisclosed sites to ensure their safety.
It began limited operations in recent years and returned to normal in the beginning of the year, four weeks after insurgents removed Syria's former leader.
Every one of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were harmed or significantly impacted during the conflict.
The Islamic State group demolished numerous religious structures and other structures at the ancient city, claiming that they were idolatrous. Unesco censured the destruction as a war crime.
Numerous artefacts were also lost or looted from dig sites and collections.