Ancient Artifacts Removed from Syria's National Museum in Damascus

Valuable artifacts and other artefacts have been removed from Syria's National Museum in the capital, authorities report.

The theft was found on Monday, when staff allegedly found that one of the museum's doors had been forced from the inside.

The half-dozen missing statues were made of marble and originated to the Roman era, a source told the media outlet.

The nation's antiquities authority said it had opened an investigation to establish the "details surrounding the theft of a group of artifacts", and that steps had been enacted to improve safeguarding and surveillance.

The chief of internal security in the capital area, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was cited by the government press as saying that authorities were investigating the incident, which he said had targeted several "historical artifacts and rare collectibles".

He noted that museum protectors at the museum and additional people were being interrogated.

The National Museum, which was founded in 1919, houses the significant cultural treasures in Syria.

It features clay cuneiform tablets tracing back to the 14th Century BC from an ancient city, where evidence of the earliest writing system was found; 1st and 2nd Century AD classical statues from historical site, a significant historical locations of the historical period; and a third century Jewish temple that was built at another archaeological site.

The institution was compelled to shut in the early 2010s, a year after the outbreak of the devastating civil war. Most of the collection was removed and kept at undisclosed sites to safeguard them.

It began limited operations in 2018 and resumed full operations in early this year, four weeks after insurgents overthrew the Assad regime.

All six of the country's cultural landmarks were damaged or partly ruined during the internal struggle.

The IS organization demolished several temples and historical sites at Palmyra, stating that they were idolatrous. International authorities denounced the damage as a war crime.

Numerous historical objects were also damaged or looted from historical locations and collections.