Ancient Sculptures Removed from Syria's National Museum Located in Damascus
Ancient artifacts and cultural objects have been removed from the National Museum of Syria in the capital, authorities report.
The robbery was noticed on Monday, when staff apparently found that a doorway had been damaged from the interior.
The six stolen statues were marble creations and dated back to the Roman era, a source informed the news agency.
Cultural heritage officials said it had launched a probe to determine the "circumstances surrounding the theft of a group of items", and that measures had been enacted to improve security and observation methods.
The director of internal security in the Damascus region, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was cited by the official media as saying that law enforcement were investigating the robbery, which he said had affected several "historical artifacts and valuable objects".
He continued that guards at the facility and additional people were being questioned.
The National Museum, which was created in 1919, contains the primary archaeological collection in the country.
It contains clay cuneiform tablets originating to the Bronze Age from an ancient city, where evidence of the most ancient writing system was discovered; early centuries CE classical statues from historical site, a significant cultural centres of the historical period; and a 3rd Century AD Jewish temple that was established at another archaeological site.
The facility was forced to close in 2012, one year after the beginning of the devastating civil war. Most of the holdings was removed and kept at secure places to protect them.
It partially resumed in recent years and resumed full operations in the beginning of the year, a month after insurgents removed President Bashar al-Assad.
Every one of nationally recognized sites were affected or significantly impacted during the conflict.
The Islamic State group blew up numerous religious structures and historical sites at Palmyra, claiming that they were idolatrous. International authorities censured the destruction as a atrocity.
Countless artefacts were also lost or looted from dig sites and collections.
