Valuable Sculptures Stolen from Syria's National Museum Located in Damascus
Historic statues and cultural objects have been stolen from Syria's National Museum in the capital, sources confirm.
The theft was discovered on Monday, when museum workers allegedly found that one of the museum's doors had been forced from the inside.
The multiple taken sculptures were made of marble and traced back to the ancient Roman times, an authority told the Associated Press.
Cultural heritage officials said it had opened an investigation to establish the "circumstances surrounding the theft of a group of items", and that measures had been enacted to strengthen security and observation methods.
The chief of internal security in Damascus province, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was cited by the official media as stating that authorities were investigating the theft, which he said had affected several "archaeological statues and unique items".
He noted that guards at the institution and other individuals were being questioned.
The Damascus Museum, which was created in the early twentieth century, contains the significant historical artifacts in Syria.
It contains historical records dating back to the 14th Century BC from historical site, where evidence of the oldest known complete alphabet was uncovered; 1st and 2nd Century AD Greco-Roman sculptures from historical site, among the foremost ancient sites of the classical era; and a 3rd Century AD religious building that was built at another archaeological site.
The facility was had to cease operations in the early 2010s, a year after the start of the destructive conflict. Most of the holdings was evacuated and preserved at secure places to safeguard them.
It partially resumed in recent years and completely reopened in early this year, one month after opposition groups deposed the Assad regime.
Each of the six of the country's cultural landmarks were harmed or partially destroyed during the civil war.
The IS organization destroyed multiple religious structures and additional edifices at Palmyra, stating that they were against their beliefs. International authorities denounced the demolition as a war crime.
Many artefacts were also damaged or taken from historical locations and collections.
