Valuable Sculptures Removed from the National Museum Located in Damascus
Valuable sculptures and cultural objects have been taken from the National Museum of Syria in Damascus, sources confirm.
The robbery was discovered on Monday, when staff reportedly found that one of the museum's doors had been broken from the inside.
The multiple stolen sculptures were crafted from marble and dated back to the ancient Roman times, a source stated to the Associated Press.
Cultural heritage officials said it had launched a probe to determine the "circumstances surrounding the disappearance of a collection of items", and that measures had been implemented to improve security and observation methods.
The director of internal security in Damascus province, General Osama Atkeh, was cited by the state-run Sana news agency as stating that security forces were investigating the incident, which he said had targeted several "archaeological statues and unique items".
He continued that security personnel at the institution and other persons were being interviewed.
The National Museum, which was established in 1919, holds the primary historical artifacts in the country.
It contains clay cuneiform tablets dating back to the Bronze Age from historical site, where evidence of the most ancient linguistic system was discovered; 1st and 2nd Century AD classical statues from the ancient city, among the foremost cultural centres of the classical era; and a ancient religious building that was built at Dura Europos.
The institution was forced to close in 2012, one year after the outbreak of the destructive conflict. Most of the holdings was removed and kept at secure places to protect them.
It reopened partially in 2018 and completely reopened in the beginning of the year, one month after insurgents removed President Bashar al-Assad.
Every one of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were harmed or partly ruined during the conflict.
The IS organization demolished several temples and other structures at the archaeological site, asserting that they were un-Islamic. Unesco denounced the damage as a war crime.
Countless historical objects were also lost or stolen from archaeological sites and collections.
