Ancient Artifacts Stolen from the National Museum in Damascus
Valuable artifacts and additional items have been removed from the National Museum of Syria in Damascus, officials say.
The burglary was found on Monday, when museum workers reportedly found that a doorway had been forced from the interior.
The half-dozen stolen pieces were crafted from marble and dated back to the Roman era, one official told the Associated Press.
Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had opened an investigation to identify the "events surrounding the theft of a collection of exhibits", and that measures had been implemented to enhance safeguarding and surveillance.
The head of internal 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 focused on several "ancient sculptures and valuable objects".
He noted that guards at the institution and other individuals were being interviewed.
The cultural institution, which was created in the early twentieth century, houses the primary archaeological collection in Syria.
It features clay cuneiform tablets tracing back to the 14th Century BC from historical site, where indications of the most ancient writing system was found; 1st and 2nd Century AD classical statues from historical site, one of the most important ancient sites of the ancient world; and a 3rd Century AD Jewish temple that was built at an ancient location.
The institution was compelled to shut in 2012, twelve months after the beginning of the destructive conflict. A large portion of the collection was evacuated and preserved at secure places to protect them.
It began limited operations in 2018 and returned to normal in the beginning of the year, one month after insurgents removed the Assad regime.
Every one of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were affected or partly ruined during the internal struggle.
The militant faction destroyed multiple ancient buildings and additional edifices at the archaeological site, stating that they were idolatrous. The cultural organization denounced the damage as a atrocity.
Many historical objects were also damaged or looted from historical locations and collections.
