Ancient Sculptures Stolen from Syria's National Museum Located in Damascus
Historic artifacts and cultural objects have been removed from Syria's National Museum in Damascus, officials say.
The burglary was found on Monday, when employees reportedly found that an entrance had been damaged from the interior.
The half-dozen taken statues were marble creations and dated back to the Roman period, an authority told the media outlet.
Cultural heritage officials said it had opened an investigation to establish the "circumstances surrounding the theft of a number of exhibits", and that measures had been enacted to improve protection and monitoring systems.
The director of internal security in Damascus province, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was quoted by the official media as stating that law enforcement were examining the theft, which he said had focused on several "historical artifacts and valuable objects".
He noted that museum protectors at the facility and other persons were being interrogated.
The cultural institution, which was created in the early twentieth century, houses the significant historical artifacts in Syria.
It contains historical records dating back to the ancient era from Ugarit, where proof of the most ancient writing system was uncovered; early centuries CE classical statues from the ancient city, among the foremost ancient sites of the ancient world; and a third century religious building that was established at an ancient location.
The museum was forced to close in 2012, one year after the beginning of the devastating civil war. A large portion of the artifacts was removed and kept at secret locations to safeguard them.
It began limited operations in recent years and completely reopened in the beginning of the year, one month after opposition groups overthrew the Assad regime.
All six of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were harmed or significantly impacted during the internal struggle.
The Islamic State group demolished numerous religious structures and other structures at the ancient city, claiming that they were un-Islamic. The cultural organization condemned the demolition as a atrocity.
Countless cultural items were also lost or stolen from archaeological sites and collections.
