Valuable Sculptures Taken from Syria's National Museum Located in Damascus
Valuable sculptures and other artefacts have been removed from Syria's National Museum in Damascus, officials say.
The theft was discovered on Monday, when employees apparently found that a doorway had been broken from the inside.
The multiple taken sculptures were made of marble and originated to the ancient Roman times, an authority stated to the news agency.
Cultural heritage officials said it had opened an investigation to determine the "details surrounding the disappearance of a group of artifacts", and that actions had been enacted to enhance security and surveillance.
The director of internal security in the Damascus region, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was cited by the official media as declaring that law enforcement were examining the theft, which he said had focused on several "historical artifacts and rare collectibles".
He noted that guards at the facility and additional people were being questioned.
The Damascus Museum, which was established in the early twentieth century, contains the primary archaeological collection in Syria.
It contains ancient inscribed tablets tracing back to the ancient era from Ugarit, where indications of the earliest complete alphabet was uncovered; Greco-Roman period ancient art from the ancient city, a significant historical locations of the classical era; and a third century religious building that was built at Dura Europos.
The museum was compelled to shut in 2012, a year after the beginning of the devastating civil war. The majority of the holdings was transferred and kept at undisclosed sites to ensure their safety.
It reopened partially in 2018 and completely reopened in early this year, a month after opposition groups removed Syria's former leader.
Every one of nationally recognized sites were harmed or partially destroyed during the civil war.
The Islamic State group blew up several religious structures and additional edifices at Palmyra, stating that they were against their beliefs. The cultural organization condemned the destruction as a war crime.
Numerous artefacts were also destroyed or taken from historical locations and collections.
