Ancient Artifacts Removed from Syria's National Museum Located in Damascus
Valuable statues and other artefacts have been taken from the National Museum of Syria in the capital, sources confirm.
The robbery was discovered on Monday, when museum workers allegedly found that a doorway had been broken from the interior.
The half-dozen taken sculptures were marble creations and dated back to the Roman period, a source told the Associated Press.
Cultural heritage officials said it had launched a probe to determine the "details surrounding the disappearance of a number of items", and that actions had been taken to strengthen protection and monitoring systems.
The director of internal security in the capital area, General Osama Atkeh, was referenced by the official media as saying that law enforcement were examining the robbery, which he said had targeted several "historical artifacts and unique items".
He added that museum protectors at the museum and additional people were being interviewed.
The cultural institution, which was established in the early twentieth century, contains the primary cultural treasures in the country.
It contains clay cuneiform tablets tracing back to the Bronze Age from historical site, where proof of the oldest known writing system was discovered; early centuries CE classical statues from the ancient city, a significant ancient sites of the historical period; and a 3rd Century AD Jewish temple that was built at another archaeological site.
The institution was had to cease operations in 2012, one year after the outbreak of the destructive conflict. A large portion of the collection was transferred and stored at secret locations to safeguard them.
It reopened partially in recent years and returned to normal in the beginning of the year, four weeks after insurgents overthrew the Assad regime.
Every one of the country's cultural landmarks were harmed or partly ruined during the conflict.
The militant faction blew up several temples and additional edifices at the archaeological site, asserting that they were un-Islamic. International authorities censured the demolition as a atrocity.
Countless artefacts were also lost or looted from dig sites and collections.
