Valuable Sculptures Stolen from the National Museum in Damascus
Valuable statues and cultural objects have been taken from the National Museum of Syria in Damascus, sources confirm.
The robbery was discovered on Monday, when employees apparently found that a doorway had been forced from the inside.
The half-dozen taken statues were marble creations and originated to the Roman era, a source told the news agency.
Cultural heritage officials said it had launched a probe to determine the "details surrounding the disappearance of a group of artifacts", and that actions had been enacted to improve security and surveillance.
The chief of national security in the capital area, Security Chief Atkeh, was referenced by the official media as stating that law enforcement were probing the incident, which he said had targeted several "historical artifacts and rare collectibles".
He noted that security personnel at the facility and additional people were being questioned.
The National Museum, which was created in 1919, houses the primary archaeological collection in the country.
It includes clay cuneiform tablets tracing back to the Bronze Age from an ancient city, where indications of the earliest complete alphabet was found; Greco-Roman period ancient art from the ancient city, a significant ancient sites of the historical period; and a ancient Jewish temple that was constructed at an ancient location.
The institution was compelled to shut in the early 2010s, one year after the beginning of the devastating civil war. Most of the artifacts was evacuated and preserved at undisclosed sites to ensure their safety.
It began limited operations in recent years and completely reopened in the beginning of the year, a month after opposition groups deposed President Bashar al-Assad.
Every one of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were affected or significantly impacted during the internal struggle.
The militant faction demolished several religious structures and other structures at Palmyra, asserting that they were un-Islamic. International authorities denounced the destruction as a violation.
Many artefacts were also damaged or stolen from archaeological sites and collections.
