Valuable Statues Taken from Syria's National Museum Located in Damascus
Valuable artifacts and other artefacts have been stolen from the National Museum of Syria in the capital, officials say.
The theft was found on Monday, when employees apparently found that a doorway had been damaged from the inside.
The half-dozen taken statues were crafted from marble and dated back to the ancient Roman times, a source informed the media outlet.
Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had initiated an inquiry to identify the "circumstances surrounding the loss of a group of exhibits", and that measures had been taken to strengthen protection and surveillance.
The chief of internal security in the Damascus region, General Osama Atkeh, was cited by the state-run Sana news agency as saying that law enforcement were examining the robbery, which he said had focused on several "archaeological statues and rare collectibles".
He added that guards at the institution and additional people were being questioned.
The Damascus Museum, which was created in 1919, holds the significant historical artifacts in Syria.
It includes clay cuneiform tablets dating back to the ancient era from an ancient city, where indications of the oldest known linguistic system was found; 1st and 2nd Century AD ancient art from the ancient city, a significant historical locations of the classical era; and a ancient Jewish temple that was established at Dura Europos.
The facility was forced to close in 2012, one year after the outbreak of the internal strife. Most of the collection was transferred and kept at secret locations to safeguard them.
It reopened partially in 2018 and returned to normal in January 2025, a month after rebel forces removed the Assad regime.
All six of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were damaged or partially destroyed during the civil war.
The Islamic State group destroyed numerous ancient buildings and additional edifices at the archaeological site, claiming that they were idolatrous. Unesco censured the damage as a violation.
Numerous historical objects were also damaged or stolen from archaeological sites and collections.
