Valuable Artifacts Stolen from the National Museum Located in Damascus
Valuable artifacts and cultural objects have been stolen from Syria's National Museum in the capital, officials say.
The robbery was discovered on Monday, when employees allegedly found that an entrance had been broken from the interior.
The half-dozen missing statues were crafted from marble and traced back to the Roman era, one official informed the media outlet.
Cultural heritage officials said it had launched a probe to determine the "details surrounding the theft of a collection of items", and that steps had been taken to strengthen protection and monitoring systems.
The chief of national security in Damascus province, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was cited by the official media as stating that security forces were examining the robbery, which he said had focused on several "historical artifacts and unique items".
He continued that museum protectors at the institution and additional people were being interrogated.
The Damascus Museum, which was established in 1919, houses the most important cultural treasures in the country.
It contains clay cuneiform tablets dating back to the ancient era from Ugarit, where proof of the earliest linguistic system was found; Greco-Roman period classical statues from the ancient city, a significant ancient sites of the ancient world; and a 3rd Century AD Jewish temple that was constructed at an ancient location.
The institution was compelled to shut in the early 2010s, one year after the outbreak of the internal strife. Most of the holdings was evacuated and preserved at secret locations to safeguard them.
It partially resumed in recent years and returned to normal in the beginning of the year, a month after insurgents removed Syria's former leader.
Every one of nationally recognized sites were harmed or partially destroyed during the internal struggle.
The militant faction destroyed multiple religious structures and historical sites at the ancient city, stating that they were against their beliefs. The cultural organization condemned the damage as a violation.
Countless artefacts were also lost or stolen from archaeological sites and museums.
