Valuable Artifacts Removed from the National Museum Located in Damascus
Valuable sculptures and other artefacts have been stolen from the National Museum of Syria in Damascus, officials say.
The robbery was found on the start of the week, when employees reportedly found that one of the museum's doors had been damaged from the inside.
The half-dozen taken statues were made of marble and traced back to the Roman era, a source informed the media outlet.
The nation's antiquities authority said it had launched a probe to establish the "circumstances surrounding the theft of a collection of exhibits", and that steps had been enacted to enhance protection and monitoring systems.
The head of national security in the Damascus region, General Osama Atkeh, was cited by the government press as saying that security forces were examining the incident, which he said had affected several "archaeological statues and rare collectibles".
He continued that security personnel at the museum and additional people were being interviewed.
The National Museum, which was founded in 1919, houses the primary historical artifacts in Syria.
It includes historical records originating to the 14th Century BC from an ancient city, where indications of the earliest complete alphabet was found; early centuries CE classical statues from Palmyra, a significant ancient sites of the ancient world; and a third century Jewish temple that was established at another archaeological site.
The facility was had to cease operations in the early 2010s, one year after the outbreak of the devastating civil war. The majority of the holdings was transferred and kept at secure places to ensure their safety.
It began limited operations in 2018 and returned to normal in January 2025, four weeks after insurgents deposed Syria's former leader.
Every one of the country's cultural landmarks were harmed or partially destroyed during the civil war.
The Islamic State group blew up multiple religious structures and other structures at the ancient city, asserting that they were idolatrous. The cultural organization censured the damage as a atrocity.
Countless artefacts were also damaged or looted from historical locations and museums.
