Valuable Sculptures Stolen from Syria's National Museum Located in Damascus
Ancient sculptures and additional items have been taken from Syria's National Museum in Damascus, sources confirm.
The robbery was noticed on Monday, when employees apparently found that an entrance had been damaged from the inside.
The six stolen statues were marble creations and originated to the Roman period, an authority told the news agency.
The nation's antiquities authority said it had initiated an inquiry to determine the "circumstances surrounding the theft of a number of items", and that actions had been enacted to enhance protection and surveillance.
The head of national security in the Damascus region, General Osama Atkeh, was referenced by the state-run Sana news agency as stating that law enforcement were investigating the incident, which he said had affected several "ancient sculptures and rare collectibles".
He added that guards at the museum and other individuals were being interrogated.
The National Museum, which was established in the early twentieth century, houses the primary historical artifacts in Syria.
It contains clay cuneiform tablets dating back to the ancient era from an ancient city, where evidence of the earliest complete alphabet was discovered; early centuries CE classical statues from the ancient city, among the foremost ancient sites of the classical era; and a third century Jewish temple that was built at Dura Europos.
The museum was had to cease operations in the early 2010s, a year after the outbreak of the internal strife. The majority of the holdings was evacuated and preserved at undisclosed sites to ensure their safety.
It began limited operations in recent years and returned to normal in January 2025, four weeks after insurgents overthrew Syria's former leader.
Each of the six of the country's cultural landmarks were affected or partly ruined during the civil war.
The IS organization destroyed multiple temples and historical sites at the ancient city, asserting that they were un-Islamic. International authorities condemned the destruction as a violation.
Countless artefacts were also destroyed or stolen from archaeological sites and collections.