Valuable Sculptures Removed from the National Museum in Damascus
Ancient statues and other artefacts have been stolen from the National Museum of Syria in the capital, authorities report.
The robbery was found on Monday, when employees apparently found that a doorway had been broken from the interior.
The six missing statues were made of marble and traced back to the ancient Roman times, an authority stated to the media outlet.
Cultural heritage officials said it had opened an investigation to identify the "details surrounding the disappearance of a group of artifacts", and that measures had been enacted to enhance protection and surveillance.
The head of internal security in the capital area, Security Chief Atkeh, was cited by the state-run Sana news agency as saying that authorities were probing the theft, which he said had affected several "archaeological statues and valuable objects".
He added that museum protectors at the museum and other persons were being questioned.
The National Museum, which was created in 1919, houses the significant cultural treasures in Syria.
It includes clay cuneiform tablets originating to the ancient era from Ugarit, where proof of the oldest known writing system was discovered; early centuries CE ancient art from Palmyra, one of the most important historical locations of the classical era; and a ancient religious building that was built at another archaeological site.
The institution was forced to close in the early 2010s, twelve months after the start of the devastating civil war. The majority of the collection was removed and kept at undisclosed sites to safeguard them.
It partially resumed in 2018 and completely reopened in January 2025, a month after opposition groups overthrew President Bashar al-Assad.
Every one of the country's cultural landmarks were affected or significantly impacted during the civil war.
The Islamic State group demolished numerous temples and other structures at the ancient city, asserting that they were idolatrous. International authorities censured the demolition as a atrocity.
Numerous historical objects were also lost or stolen from historical locations and collections.
