Valuable Artifacts Removed from the National Museum Located in Damascus
Ancient artifacts and additional items have been stolen from the National Museum of Syria in Damascus, officials say.
The theft was discovered on Monday, when employees reportedly found that a doorway had been damaged from the inside.
The six stolen pieces were marble creations and dated back to the ancient Roman times, an authority informed the media outlet.
The nation's antiquities authority said it had launched a probe to determine the "details surrounding the loss of a number of artifacts", and that steps had been implemented to improve protection and surveillance.
The chief of domestic security in the Damascus region, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was referenced by the official media as declaring that law enforcement were investigating the robbery, which he said had affected several "archaeological statues and unique items".
He added that museum protectors at the museum and other individuals were being interviewed.
The Damascus Museum, which was founded in the early twentieth century, houses the significant archaeological collection in the country.
It contains clay cuneiform tablets originating to the ancient era from an ancient city, where indications of the oldest known linguistic system was uncovered; early centuries CE Greco-Roman sculptures from Palmyra, among the foremost cultural centres of the ancient world; and a ancient synagogue that was constructed at Dura Europos.
The facility was compelled to shut in the early 2010s, a year after the outbreak of the destructive conflict. Most of the artifacts was evacuated and stored at secure places to ensure their safety.
It reopened partially in 2018 and resumed full operations in the beginning of the year, a month after opposition groups overthrew Syria's former leader.
Every one of the country's cultural landmarks were damaged or significantly impacted during the internal struggle.
The militant faction destroyed multiple religious structures and additional edifices at the archaeological site, asserting that they were idolatrous. The cultural organization condemned the demolition as a atrocity.
Many cultural items were also lost or taken from dig sites and museums.
