Valuable Statues Stolen from the National Museum in Damascus
Historic artifacts and additional items have been taken from the National Museum of Syria in the capital, officials say.
The burglary was discovered on the start of the week, when employees reportedly found that one of the museum's doors had been broken from the inside.
The multiple taken pieces were marble creations and originated to the Roman period, one official informed the media outlet.
The nation's antiquities authority said it had launched a probe to identify the "events surrounding the loss of a number of items", and that steps had been taken to strengthen security and surveillance.
The head of national security in Damascus province, Security Chief Atkeh, was cited by the government press as stating that law enforcement were examining the theft, which he said had focused on several "historical artifacts and valuable objects".
He added that museum protectors at the museum and other individuals were being questioned.
The Damascus Museum, which was established in 1919, holds the primary historical artifacts in Syria.
It includes historical records originating to the ancient era from an ancient city, where evidence of the earliest linguistic system was uncovered; early centuries CE Greco-Roman sculptures from Palmyra, among the foremost historical locations of the ancient world; and a third century religious building that was established at Dura Europos.
The museum was had to cease operations in the early 2010s, a year after the start of the devastating civil war. A large portion of the holdings was transferred and kept at secure places to safeguard them.
It began limited operations in 2018 and returned to normal in the beginning of the year, a month after insurgents overthrew Syria's former leader.
Each of the six of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were affected or partly ruined during the civil war.
The IS organization destroyed multiple religious structures and additional edifices at the ancient city, asserting that they were idolatrous. Unesco denounced the damage as a war crime.
Many cultural items were also damaged or taken from historical locations and museums.
