Ancient Sculptures Removed from Syria's National Museum Located in Damascus
Historic statues and other artefacts have been taken from the National Museum of Syria in the capital, sources confirm.
The robbery was discovered on the start of the week, when staff reportedly found that an entrance had been damaged from the interior.
The half-dozen taken statues were crafted from marble and traced back to the Roman era, an authority stated to the media outlet.
Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had opened an investigation to identify the "events surrounding the loss of a collection of items", and that steps had been implemented to strengthen safeguarding and monitoring systems.
The head of domestic security in Damascus province, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was quoted by the government press as saying that security forces were probing the theft, which he said had targeted several "archaeological statues and valuable objects".
He continued that guards at the museum and other individuals were being interrogated.
The cultural institution, which was founded in 1919, holds the most important cultural treasures in Syria.
It includes historical records tracing back to the ancient era from Ugarit, where evidence of the most ancient writing system was found; early centuries CE classical statues from historical site, one of the most important historical locations of the historical period; and a third century Jewish temple that was built at Dura Europos.
The institution was had to cease operations in 2012, a year after the start of the destructive conflict. Most of the artifacts was removed and preserved at secret locations to ensure their safety.
It reopened partially in 2018 and returned to normal in January 2025, four weeks after insurgents overthrew Syria's former leader.
Every one of the country's cultural landmarks were harmed or significantly impacted during the civil war.
The Islamic State group destroyed multiple ancient buildings and additional edifices at Palmyra, stating that they were un-Islamic. International authorities condemned the demolition as a atrocity.
Numerous cultural items were also destroyed or taken from historical locations and cultural institutions.
