Historic Sculptures Stolen from Syria's National Museum in Damascus

Ancient sculptures and additional items have been removed from the National Museum of Syria in Damascus, sources confirm.

The burglary was discovered on the start of the week, when employees allegedly found that a doorway had been forced from the inside.

The multiple missing statues were marble creations and dated back to the ancient Roman times, an authority informed the media outlet.

Cultural heritage officials said it had opened an investigation to establish the "circumstances surrounding the disappearance of a group of items", and that steps had been enacted to strengthen safeguarding and surveillance.

The director of internal security in the Damascus region, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was cited by the official media as stating that security forces were investigating the robbery, which he said had targeted several "historical artifacts and rare collectibles".

He continued that security personnel at the facility and additional people were being questioned.

The Damascus Museum, which was created in the early twentieth century, houses the significant archaeological collection in the country.

It contains ancient inscribed tablets originating to the 14th Century BC from an ancient city, where evidence of the most ancient linguistic system was discovered; 1st and 2nd Century AD classical statues from the ancient city, one of the most important historical locations of the historical period; and a ancient religious building that was built at an ancient location.

The facility was compelled to shut in 2012, a year after the outbreak of the devastating civil war. The majority of the holdings was evacuated and stored at secure places to ensure their safety.

It partially resumed in 2018 and returned to normal in early this year, one month after opposition groups overthrew the Assad regime.

Every one of nationally recognized sites were damaged or partly ruined during the conflict.

The militant faction destroyed multiple ancient buildings and historical sites at the ancient city, stating that they were against their beliefs. The cultural organization denounced the destruction as a atrocity.

Numerous historical objects were also destroyed or stolen from historical locations and collections.