Ancient Sculptures Stolen from Syria's National Museum in Damascus

Valuable artifacts and cultural objects have been removed from the National Museum of Syria in the capital, sources confirm.

The burglary was noticed on Monday, when employees allegedly found that an entrance had been broken from the interior.

The multiple missing statues were marble creations and dated back to the ancient Roman times, a source informed the news agency.

Cultural heritage officials said it had launched a probe to determine the "circumstances surrounding the theft of a number of items", and that actions had been implemented to enhance safeguarding and surveillance.

The chief of internal security in Damascus province, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was quoted by the government press as saying that law enforcement were investigating the theft, which he said had targeted several "archaeological statues and rare collectibles".

He noted that security personnel at the facility and other persons were being interviewed.

The Damascus Museum, which was established in the early twentieth century, contains the significant cultural treasures in the country.

It includes ancient inscribed tablets dating back to the ancient era from an ancient city, where evidence of the oldest known writing system was uncovered; Greco-Roman period classical statues from historical site, one of the most important cultural centres of the classical era; and a 3rd Century AD Jewish temple that was established at Dura Europos.

The facility was compelled to shut in 2012, twelve months after the outbreak of the internal strife. A large portion of the artifacts was evacuated and kept at secret locations to ensure their safety.

It reopened partially in 2018 and completely reopened in the beginning of the year, one month after opposition groups overthrew the Assad regime.

Each of the six of the country's cultural landmarks were damaged or partially destroyed during the conflict.

The Islamic State group demolished numerous ancient buildings and historical sites at the ancient city, claiming that they were against their beliefs. International authorities denounced the damage as a war crime.

Numerous cultural items were also destroyed or stolen from historical locations and cultural institutions.