Valuable Statues Taken from the National Museum in Damascus
Valuable statues and other artefacts have been stolen from the National Museum of Syria in the capital, sources confirm.
The robbery was found on the start of the week, when staff allegedly found that a doorway had been forced from the inside.
The multiple missing statues were marble creations and traced back to the ancient Roman times, an authority told the media outlet.
Cultural heritage officials said it had initiated an inquiry to determine the "events surrounding the disappearance of a group of artifacts", and that measures had been taken to enhance security and monitoring systems.
The director of national security in the Damascus region, General Osama Atkeh, was cited by the official media as saying that law enforcement were probing the incident, which he said had affected several "ancient sculptures and unique items".
He continued that guards at the museum and other individuals were being interrogated.
The cultural institution, which was founded in 1919, contains the primary archaeological collection in Syria.
It features ancient inscribed tablets dating back to the ancient era from historical site, where indications of the oldest known writing system was discovered; early centuries CE Greco-Roman sculptures from the ancient city, a significant historical locations of the classical era; and a 3rd Century AD religious building that was constructed at an ancient location.
The institution was compelled to shut in the early 2010s, twelve months after the start of the internal strife. A large portion of the collection was transferred and stored at undisclosed sites to protect them.
It reopened partially in 2018 and completely reopened in early this year, a month after rebel forces overthrew President Bashar al-Assad.
Every one of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were affected or significantly impacted during the civil war.
The IS organization destroyed several ancient buildings and additional edifices at the archaeological site, claiming that they were idolatrous. International authorities denounced the demolition as a war crime.
Numerous historical objects were also destroyed or taken from archaeological sites and museums.
