Historic Artifacts Taken from the National Museum Located in Damascus
Valuable artifacts and cultural objects have been taken from Syria's National Museum in the capital, sources confirm.
The burglary was noticed on the start of the week, when employees apparently found that a doorway had been forced from the inside.
The six taken sculptures were crafted from marble and dated back to the Roman era, one official informed the news agency.
The nation's antiquities authority said it had launched a probe to identify the "circumstances surrounding the loss of a group of items", and that steps had been implemented to improve security and observation methods.
The chief of national security in Damascus province, General Osama Atkeh, was cited by the official media as saying that authorities were investigating the theft, which he said had affected several "historical artifacts and valuable objects".
He noted that guards at the museum and other individuals were being interviewed.
The Damascus Museum, which was created in the early twentieth century, holds the primary historical artifacts in the country.
It contains ancient inscribed tablets tracing back to the 14th Century BC from Ugarit, where evidence of the oldest known linguistic system was found; early centuries CE Greco-Roman sculptures from the ancient city, one of the most important cultural centres of the classical era; and a 3rd Century AD religious building that was built at Dura Europos.
The museum was forced to close in 2012, one year after the outbreak of the devastating civil war. Most of the artifacts was evacuated and kept at undisclosed sites to ensure their safety.
It reopened partially in recent years and resumed full operations in January 2025, one month after rebel forces overthrew the Assad regime.
Every one of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were affected or significantly impacted during the civil war.
The IS organization destroyed numerous religious structures and additional edifices at Palmyra, stating that they were against their beliefs. Unesco condemned the damage as a violation.
Countless cultural items were also destroyed or taken from dig sites and collections.
