Historic Statues Stolen from the National Museum Located in Damascus

Historic statues and cultural objects have been stolen from Syria's National Museum in Damascus, sources confirm.

The robbery was discovered on Monday, when museum workers apparently found that an entrance had been broken from the inside.

The half-dozen missing statues were marble creations and dated back to the ancient Roman times, an authority stated to the media outlet.

The nation's antiquities authority said it had launched a probe to identify the "details surrounding the theft of a number of items", and that actions had been enacted to enhance security and monitoring systems.

The head of domestic security in the Damascus region, Security Chief Atkeh, was cited by the official media as saying that security forces were investigating the theft, which he said had focused on several "ancient sculptures and rare collectibles".

He noted that security personnel at the facility and other persons were being interviewed.

The cultural institution, which was founded in the early twentieth century, holds the significant archaeological collection in the country.

It features historical records tracing back to the Bronze Age from Ugarit, where evidence of the earliest complete alphabet was uncovered; Greco-Roman period ancient art from Palmyra, a significant historical locations of the historical period; and a 3rd Century AD Jewish temple that was built at another archaeological site.

The facility was compelled to shut in the early 2010s, twelve months after the outbreak of the internal strife. Most of the collection was removed and stored at secure places to protect them.

It partially resumed in 2018 and returned to normal in early this year, a month after opposition groups overthrew Syria's former leader.

Each of the six of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were harmed or partially destroyed during the internal struggle.

The Islamic State group destroyed several temples and other structures at the archaeological site, asserting that they were against their beliefs. The cultural organization condemned the damage as a war crime.

Many cultural items were also damaged or taken from archaeological sites and collections.