Historic Artifacts Removed from Syria's National Museum in Damascus
Historic sculptures and other artefacts have been removed from Syria's National Museum in the capital, sources confirm.
The robbery was noticed on Monday, when museum workers reportedly found that a doorway had been broken from the interior.
The half-dozen stolen sculptures were crafted from marble and traced back to the Roman era, an authority informed the Associated Press.
The nation's antiquities authority said it had opened an investigation to identify the "details surrounding the loss of a group of items", and that actions had been implemented to strengthen safeguarding and surveillance.
The chief of national security in Damascus province, Security Chief Atkeh, was referenced by the state-run Sana news agency as declaring that law enforcement were investigating the robbery, which he said had affected several "archaeological statues and unique items".
He continued that museum protectors at the institution and additional people were being interrogated.
The cultural institution, which was established in 1919, houses the significant archaeological collection in Syria.
It contains historical records dating back to the ancient era from an ancient city, where proof of the most ancient linguistic system was discovered; early centuries CE classical statues from Palmyra, one of the most important cultural centres of the ancient world; and a ancient synagogue that was built at another archaeological site.
The institution was forced to close in the early 2010s, twelve months after the start of the internal strife. The majority of the collection was evacuated and preserved at undisclosed sites to protect them.
It partially resumed in recent years and resumed full operations in early this year, one month after opposition groups overthrew the Assad regime.
Every one of the country's cultural landmarks were damaged or partially destroyed during the conflict.
The Islamic State group blew up numerous religious structures and additional edifices at Palmyra, claiming that they were un-Islamic. The cultural organization denounced the destruction as a atrocity.
Many artefacts were also destroyed or looted from archaeological sites and museums.
