Historic Artifacts Taken from the National Museum Located in Damascus
Ancient artifacts and other artefacts have been removed from Syria's National Museum in the capital, officials say.
The theft was found on the start of the week, when employees allegedly found that one of the museum's doors had been forced from the interior.
The half-dozen stolen sculptures were made of marble and originated to the Roman era, one official stated to the media outlet.
Cultural heritage officials said it had initiated an inquiry to determine the "details surrounding the loss of a collection of exhibits", and that steps had been enacted to strengthen protection and monitoring systems.
The chief of domestic security in the Damascus region, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was cited by the official media as declaring that law enforcement were probing the incident, which he said had targeted several "ancient sculptures and valuable objects".
He continued that museum protectors at the institution and additional people were being interviewed.
The cultural institution, which was established in 1919, holds the primary archaeological collection in the country.
It includes ancient inscribed tablets dating back to the Bronze Age from historical site, where indications of the earliest linguistic system was uncovered; Greco-Roman period classical statues from historical site, a significant historical locations of the historical period; and a ancient synagogue that was established at Dura Europos.
The museum was forced to close in 2012, twelve months after the start of the internal strife. A large portion of the collection was evacuated and kept at undisclosed sites to protect them.
It partially resumed in recent years and resumed full operations in the beginning of the year, one month after opposition groups removed the Assad regime.
Every one of nationally recognized sites were affected or partly ruined during the conflict.
The militant faction blew up multiple temples and additional edifices at the ancient city, stating that they were un-Islamic. The cultural organization censured the destruction as a atrocity.
Countless artefacts were also lost or taken from historical locations and collections.
