Ancient Sculptures Stolen from the National Museum in Damascus
Valuable artifacts and cultural objects have been stolen from Syria's National Museum in the capital, authorities report.
The theft was discovered on Monday, when staff allegedly found that one of the museum's doors had been damaged from the interior.
The six stolen sculptures were made of marble and traced back to the Roman era, a source informed the news agency.
Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had initiated an inquiry to establish the "circumstances surrounding the disappearance of a collection of exhibits", and that steps had been taken to enhance safeguarding and monitoring systems.
The chief of national security in the capital area, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was cited by the official media as stating that law enforcement were probing the theft, which he said had affected several "ancient sculptures and valuable objects".
He added that security personnel at the museum and additional people were being questioned.
The National Museum, which was established in 1919, contains the significant historical artifacts in the country.
It includes clay cuneiform tablets tracing back to the 14th Century BC from historical site, where proof of the most ancient complete alphabet was found; early centuries CE Greco-Roman sculptures from historical site, a significant historical locations of the ancient world; and a 3rd Century AD Jewish temple that was constructed at an ancient location.
The museum was had to cease operations in the early 2010s, twelve months after the outbreak of the internal strife. Most of the artifacts was removed and preserved at secret locations to safeguard them.
It began limited operations in 2018 and resumed full operations in the beginning of the year, a month after opposition groups removed the Assad regime.
Every one of nationally recognized sites were damaged or significantly impacted during the civil war.
The IS organization blew up several ancient buildings and additional edifices at the ancient city, claiming that they were un-Islamic. Unesco denounced the destruction as a violation.
Countless cultural items were also lost or stolen from historical locations and cultural institutions.
