Valuable Artifacts Stolen from the National Museum Located in Damascus
Valuable sculptures and cultural objects have been removed from Syria's National Museum in Damascus, officials say.
The robbery was found on Monday, when employees apparently found that an entrance had been broken from the inside.
The multiple stolen sculptures were crafted from marble and traced back to the Roman period, a source stated to the media outlet.
Cultural heritage officials said it had initiated an inquiry to establish the "events surrounding the theft of a number of exhibits", and that measures had been enacted to enhance security and observation methods.
The director of national security in Damascus province, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was quoted by the official media as declaring that law enforcement were probing the theft, which he said had targeted several "ancient sculptures and unique items".
He added that security personnel at the institution and other individuals were being interrogated.
The cultural institution, which was created in the early twentieth century, contains the primary archaeological collection in Syria.
It features ancient inscribed tablets dating back to the Bronze Age from Ugarit, where indications of the most ancient linguistic system was uncovered; early centuries CE Greco-Roman sculptures from Palmyra, one of the most important ancient sites of the ancient world; and a third century religious building that was constructed at another archaeological site.
The facility was had to cease operations in 2012, twelve months after the beginning of the internal strife. A large portion of the artifacts was evacuated and kept at secure places to safeguard them.
It partially resumed in recent years and resumed full operations in the beginning of the year, four weeks after insurgents overthrew President Bashar al-Assad.
Every one of nationally recognized sites were affected or significantly impacted during the internal struggle.
The militant faction demolished several ancient buildings and historical sites at the archaeological site, claiming that they were against their beliefs. Unesco denounced the destruction as a war crime.
Numerous cultural items were also destroyed or looted from dig sites and cultural institutions.
