Ancient Sculptures Stolen from the National Museum in Damascus
Historic sculptures and other artefacts have been removed from the National Museum of Syria in Damascus, officials say.
The theft was found on the start of the week, when employees apparently found that a doorway had been damaged from the interior.
The multiple stolen statues were crafted from marble and traced back to the Roman period, a source told the news agency.
Cultural heritage officials said it had initiated an inquiry to establish the "details surrounding the loss of a collection of items", and that steps had been taken to strengthen safeguarding and observation methods.
The chief of domestic security in the capital area, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was cited by the official media as stating that law enforcement were examining the incident, which he said had affected several "historical artifacts and valuable objects".
He continued that museum protectors at the museum and additional people were being interviewed.
The Damascus Museum, which was founded in 1919, holds the most important archaeological collection in Syria.
It contains ancient inscribed tablets dating back to the Bronze Age from an ancient city, where proof of the earliest writing system was discovered; early centuries CE classical statues from Palmyra, among the foremost ancient sites of the ancient world; and a 3rd Century AD Jewish temple that was built at an ancient location.
The museum was had to cease operations in 2012, a year after the outbreak of the internal strife. A large portion of the holdings was transferred and kept at secret locations to safeguard them.
It reopened partially in 2018 and resumed full operations in January 2025, one month after rebel forces overthrew the Assad regime.
Every one of the country's cultural landmarks were affected or partly ruined during the internal struggle.
The IS organization blew up several temples and additional edifices at the archaeological site, asserting that they were un-Islamic. The cultural organization denounced the damage as a war crime.
Numerous cultural items were also lost or taken from archaeological sites and museums.
