Valuable Sculptures Taken from Syria's National Museum Located in Damascus
Historic sculptures and cultural objects have been stolen from the National Museum of Syria in Damascus, sources confirm.
The theft was discovered on the start of the week, when employees allegedly found that a doorway had been broken from the interior.
The multiple missing sculptures were crafted from marble and dated back to the Roman period, one official told the media outlet.
Cultural heritage officials said it had launched a probe to establish the "circumstances surrounding the disappearance of a collection of artifacts", and that measures had been implemented to improve protection and observation methods.
The chief of domestic security in the capital area, General Osama Atkeh, was cited by the government press as saying that security forces were investigating the theft, which he said had focused on several "archaeological statues and unique items".
He noted that museum protectors at the institution and additional people were being interrogated.
The cultural institution, which was founded in 1919, contains the significant archaeological collection in Syria.
It features clay cuneiform tablets originating to the Bronze Age from an ancient city, where proof of the oldest known complete alphabet was discovered; early centuries CE ancient art from Palmyra, among the foremost historical locations of the ancient world; and a third century religious building that was built at Dura Europos.
The institution was compelled to shut in the early 2010s, a year after the beginning of the devastating civil war. A large portion of the collection was evacuated and preserved at secure places to protect them.
It reopened partially in recent years and resumed full operations in the beginning of the year, one month after opposition groups removed Syria's former leader.
Every one of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were harmed or partially destroyed during the civil war.
The Islamic State group blew up several temples and additional edifices at the ancient city, asserting that they were idolatrous. International authorities condemned the destruction as a atrocity.
Many cultural items were also lost or taken from archaeological sites and collections.
