Historic Sculptures Removed from the National Museum Located in Damascus
Historic sculptures and cultural objects have been removed from the National Museum of Syria in Damascus, officials say.
The robbery was found on the start of the week, when museum workers allegedly found that a doorway had been broken from the inside.
The six missing pieces were made of marble and dated back to the Roman era, a source informed the news agency.
Cultural heritage officials said it had launched a probe to determine the "events surrounding the loss of a group of items", and that steps had been taken to strengthen protection and monitoring systems.
The head of national security in the capital area, General Osama Atkeh, was referenced by the government press as stating that authorities were investigating the robbery, which he said had affected several "historical artifacts and rare collectibles".
He noted that guards at the facility and other individuals were being interviewed.
The National Museum, which was established in 1919, holds the primary historical artifacts in Syria.
It includes clay cuneiform tablets tracing back to the Bronze Age from an ancient city, where proof of the most ancient writing system was found; 1st and 2nd Century AD ancient art from the ancient city, a significant historical locations of the historical period; and a third century Jewish temple that was built at an ancient location.
The facility was compelled to shut in the early 2010s, twelve months after the start of the destructive conflict. Most of the holdings was transferred and preserved at undisclosed sites to protect them.
It began limited operations in 2018 and returned to normal in the beginning of the year, four weeks after rebel forces overthrew President Bashar al-Assad.
Every one of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were damaged or significantly impacted during the conflict.
The Islamic State group demolished several ancient buildings and other structures at the ancient city, stating that they were idolatrous. The cultural organization condemned the demolition as a war crime.
Numerous historical objects were also lost or stolen from dig sites and cultural institutions.
