Valuable Statues Taken from the National Museum Located in Damascus
Ancient statues and additional items have been stolen from the National Museum of Syria in the capital, officials say.
The robbery was discovered on the start of the week, when employees reportedly found that an entrance had been forced from the interior.
The multiple missing pieces were crafted from marble and traced back to the ancient Roman times, one official informed the Associated Press.
The nation's antiquities authority said it had opened an investigation to establish the "details surrounding the theft of a group of exhibits", and that actions had been taken to enhance safeguarding and surveillance.
The chief of internal security in the Damascus region, General Osama Atkeh, was referenced by the official media as declaring that authorities were probing the robbery, which he said had targeted several "archaeological statues and valuable objects".
He noted that guards at the institution and other persons were being questioned.
The Damascus Museum, which was established in the early twentieth century, holds the significant cultural treasures in the country.
It contains historical records tracing back to the 14th Century BC from an ancient city, where evidence of the oldest known linguistic system was discovered; early centuries CE ancient art from the ancient city, a significant historical locations of the classical era; and a third century religious building that was built at Dura Europos.
The institution was had to cease operations in 2012, a year after the start of the internal strife. The majority of the artifacts was evacuated and preserved at secret locations to safeguard them.
It partially resumed in 2018 and resumed full operations in January 2025, a month after rebel forces deposed the Assad regime.
Each of the six of the country's cultural landmarks were affected or partially destroyed during the conflict.
The militant faction blew up several ancient buildings and additional edifices at Palmyra, asserting that they were against their beliefs. The cultural organization censured the damage as a war crime.
Countless cultural items were also lost or taken from historical locations and cultural institutions.
