Valuable Statues Stolen from the National Museum Located in Damascus
Historic artifacts and cultural objects have been removed from the National Museum of Syria in the capital, sources confirm.
The robbery was discovered on the start of the week, when employees apparently found that one of the museum's doors had been broken from the interior.
The multiple missing statues were crafted from marble and originated to the Roman era, an authority informed the Associated Press.
The nation's antiquities authority said it had launched a probe to identify the "events surrounding the theft of a number of exhibits", and that steps had been implemented to improve security and monitoring systems.
The chief of national security in the Damascus region, General Osama Atkeh, was cited by the state-run Sana news agency as saying that authorities were examining the theft, which he said had focused on several "archaeological statues and rare collectibles".
He continued that museum protectors at the institution and other persons were being questioned.
The National Museum, which was created in 1919, houses the primary historical artifacts in the country.
It features ancient inscribed tablets dating back to the 14th Century BC from Ugarit, where proof of the earliest linguistic system was discovered; Greco-Roman period ancient art from the ancient city, a significant cultural centres of the ancient world; and a 3rd Century AD Jewish temple that was built at Dura Europos.
The museum was forced to close in 2012, a year after the beginning of the devastating civil war. Most of the holdings was evacuated and preserved at secret locations to safeguard them.
It began limited operations in 2018 and resumed full operations in the beginning of the year, a month after rebel forces deposed President Bashar al-Assad.
All six of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were harmed or partially destroyed during the civil war.
The IS organization blew up multiple ancient buildings and additional edifices at the archaeological site, stating that they were against their beliefs. Unesco denounced the damage as a war crime.
Numerous artefacts were also damaged or looted from historical locations and collections.
