Historic Artifacts Taken from the National Museum Located in Damascus
Valuable sculptures and other artefacts have been taken from the National Museum of Syria in Damascus, sources confirm.
The burglary was noticed on Monday, when museum workers apparently found that one of the museum's doors had been damaged from the interior.
The half-dozen stolen pieces were crafted from marble and dated back to the Roman period, an authority stated to the Associated Press.
Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had opened an investigation to identify the "events surrounding the disappearance of a number of exhibits", and that steps had been taken to strengthen protection and surveillance.
The director of national security in Damascus province, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was quoted by the state-run Sana news agency as saying that security forces were examining the theft, which he said had affected several "archaeological statues and unique items".
He noted that guards at the museum and other persons were being interrogated.
The cultural institution, which was created in 1919, contains the significant archaeological collection in Syria.
It contains historical records dating back to the ancient era from Ugarit, where indications of the oldest known writing system was uncovered; early centuries CE ancient art from historical site, a significant historical locations of the historical period; and a ancient religious building that was built at Dura Europos.
The museum was forced to close in the early 2010s, twelve months after the start of the internal strife. Most of the artifacts was removed and kept at secure places to protect them.
It began limited operations in recent years and returned to normal in January 2025, four weeks after opposition groups overthrew the Assad regime.
Each of the six of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were harmed or significantly impacted during the internal struggle.
The IS organization blew up multiple religious structures and other structures at Palmyra, asserting that they were un-Islamic. Unesco denounced the damage as a atrocity.
Numerous artefacts were also lost or looted from dig sites and museums.
