Valuable Statues Removed from Syria's National Museum in Damascus
Historic artifacts and other artefacts have been stolen from Syria's National Museum in the capital, sources confirm.
The robbery was noticed on the start of the week, when employees reportedly found that an entrance had been broken from the interior.
The six missing statues were crafted from marble and originated to the Roman period, one official stated to the Associated Press.
The nation's antiquities authority said it had launched a probe to identify the "circumstances surrounding the loss of a number of artifacts", and that measures had been taken to strengthen protection and observation methods.
The head of internal security in the capital area, General Osama Atkeh, was referenced by the government press as stating that authorities were investigating the incident, which he said had focused on several "historical artifacts and unique items".
He continued that museum protectors at the facility and other individuals were being interviewed.
The Damascus Museum, which was created in the early twentieth century, houses the most important cultural treasures in Syria.
It features clay cuneiform tablets originating to the Bronze Age from Ugarit, where evidence of the earliest linguistic system was found; Greco-Roman period Greco-Roman sculptures from Palmyra, among the foremost ancient sites of the ancient world; and a 3rd Century AD religious building that was established at Dura Europos.
The museum was had to cease operations in the early 2010s, a year after the outbreak of the internal strife. Most of the holdings was transferred and kept at secure places to protect them.
It reopened partially in 2018 and returned to normal in January 2025, four weeks after rebel forces overthrew President Bashar al-Assad.
Every one of the country's cultural landmarks were affected or significantly impacted during the civil war.
The IS organization destroyed several temples and other structures at the archaeological site, claiming that they were un-Islamic. Unesco condemned the damage as a atrocity.
Countless cultural items were also lost or taken from archaeological sites and collections.
