🔗 Share this article

Valuable artifacts and cultural objects have been removed from the National Museum of Syria in Damascus, officials say.

The burglary was found on Monday, when museum workers allegedly found that a doorway had been damaged from the inside.

The multiple taken sculptures were crafted from marble and dated back to the ancient Roman times, an authority told the news agency.

The nation's antiquities authority said it had opened an investigation to establish the "events surrounding the disappearance of a number of exhibits", and that measures had been implemented to strengthen protection and surveillance.

The director of national security in the capital area, General Osama Atkeh, was cited by the government press as stating that security forces were examining the theft, which he said had focused on several "historical artifacts and unique items".

He added that security personnel at the museum and other individuals were being interrogated.

The Damascus Museum, which was founded in 1919, houses the primary archaeological collection in the country.

It features historical records originating to the ancient era from Ugarit, where evidence of the most ancient complete alphabet was discovered; early centuries CE classical statues from Palmyra, among the foremost cultural centres of the classical era; and a third century religious building that was constructed at another archaeological site.

The institution was had to cease operations in 2012, one year after the outbreak of the devastating civil war. A large portion of the collection was transferred and kept at secure places to protect them.

It partially resumed in recent years and resumed full operations in early this year, a month after rebel forces overthrew the Assad regime.

Every one of the country's cultural landmarks were affected or significantly impacted during the internal struggle.

The militant faction demolished multiple temples and other structures at the ancient city, asserting that they were against their beliefs. The cultural organization condemned the demolition as a war crime.

Countless cultural items were also damaged or looted from historical locations and museums.