🔗 Share this article

Ancient statues and other artefacts have been removed from Syria's National Museum in Damascus, sources confirm.

The theft was discovered on Monday, when staff reportedly found that a doorway had been damaged from the interior.

The multiple missing pieces were made of marble and dated back to the ancient Roman times, an authority told the media outlet.

Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had launched a probe to identify the "details surrounding the loss of a group of exhibits", and that steps had been enacted to strengthen safeguarding and surveillance.

The director of internal security in the capital area, General Osama Atkeh, was referenced by the government press as stating that authorities were probing the incident, which he said had focused on several "archaeological statues and valuable objects".

He continued that museum protectors at the institution and other individuals were being interrogated.

The National Museum, which was created in the early twentieth century, contains the most important historical artifacts in the country.

It features ancient inscribed tablets tracing back to the ancient era from an ancient city, where evidence of the most ancient writing system was discovered; 1st and 2nd Century AD classical statues from Palmyra, among the foremost historical locations of the historical period; and a ancient religious building that was established at an ancient location.

The museum was compelled to shut in the early 2010s, a year after the outbreak of the destructive conflict. A large portion of the collection was evacuated and preserved at secure places to protect them.

It began limited operations in 2018 and returned to normal in the beginning of the year, a month after insurgents deposed Syria's former leader.

All six of the country's cultural landmarks were harmed or partially destroyed during the conflict.

The IS organization destroyed several ancient buildings and other structures at the archaeological site, asserting that they were against their beliefs. International authorities denounced the destruction as a war crime.

Numerous cultural items were also damaged or taken from historical locations and museums.