Valuable Sculptures Taken from Syria's National Museum Located in Damascus
Historic sculptures and cultural objects have been taken from Syria's National Museum in the capital, officials say.
The burglary was found on Monday, when museum workers apparently found that an entrance had been broken from the interior.
The multiple missing sculptures were made of marble and dated back to the ancient Roman times, one official stated to the media outlet.
Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had opened an investigation to establish the "events surrounding the disappearance of a number of artifacts", and that steps had been implemented to strengthen security and monitoring systems.
The director of domestic security in Damascus province, General Osama Atkeh, was cited by the government press as saying that authorities were investigating the incident, which he said had affected several "historical artifacts and rare collectibles".
He added that guards at the facility and additional people were being interrogated.
The cultural institution, which was founded in the early twentieth century, contains the primary historical artifacts in the country.
It features ancient inscribed tablets dating back to the 14th Century BC from Ugarit, where evidence of the oldest known complete alphabet was found; 1st and 2nd Century AD ancient art from the ancient city, one of the most important cultural centres of the historical period; and a 3rd Century AD Jewish temple that was built at another archaeological site.
The facility was compelled to shut in the early 2010s, one year after the start of the internal strife. Most of the holdings was transferred and stored at undisclosed sites to protect them.
It partially resumed in recent years and returned to normal in January 2025, four weeks after opposition groups overthrew Syria's former leader.
Every one of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were affected or partially destroyed during the civil war.
The IS organization blew up several religious structures and historical sites at the archaeological site, claiming that they were against their beliefs. International authorities condemned the damage as a atrocity.
Numerous cultural items were also lost or stolen from historical locations and cultural institutions.
