Valuable Artifacts Stolen from the National Museum Located in Damascus
Valuable statues 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 apparently found that a doorway had been forced from the interior.
The six stolen sculptures were crafted from marble and dated back to the ancient Roman times, one official informed the Associated Press.
The nation's antiquities authority said it had initiated an inquiry to establish the "events surrounding the loss of a group of artifacts", and that steps had been enacted to enhance protection and monitoring systems.
The director of domestic security in the capital area, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was referenced by the official media as declaring that authorities were examining the theft, which he said had targeted several "archaeological statues and rare collectibles".
He noted that guards at the facility and additional people were being questioned.
The Damascus Museum, which was created in the early twentieth century, contains the significant archaeological collection in Syria.
It contains historical records dating back to the ancient era from Ugarit, where evidence of the oldest known complete alphabet was found; 1st and 2nd Century AD Greco-Roman sculptures from historical site, a significant cultural centres of the ancient world; and a ancient religious building that was built at an ancient location.
The institution was forced to close in the early 2010s, one year after the outbreak of the destructive conflict. A large portion of the holdings was removed and stored at undisclosed sites to protect them.
It partially resumed in recent years and resumed full operations in early this year, four weeks after rebel forces removed President Bashar al-Assad.
Every one of the country's cultural landmarks were affected or significantly impacted during the civil war.
The militant faction blew up numerous temples and additional edifices at Palmyra, claiming that they were against their beliefs. Unesco condemned the demolition as a atrocity.
Countless cultural items were also damaged or stolen from dig sites and museums.
