Valuable Sculptures Removed from Syria's National Museum in Damascus
Ancient artifacts and cultural objects have been removed from Syria's National Museum in Damascus, officials say.
The robbery was found on the start of the week, when staff reportedly found that a doorway had been forced from the inside.
The multiple taken statues were crafted from marble and dated back to the Roman period, a source told the Associated Press.
The nation's antiquities authority said it had opened an investigation to identify the "circumstances surrounding the disappearance of a number of items", and that measures had been enacted to improve security and surveillance.
The director of internal security in the Damascus region, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was referenced by the government press as saying that law enforcement were examining the incident, which he said had focused on several "archaeological statues and unique items".
He continued that museum protectors at the facility and additional people were being questioned.
The Damascus Museum, which was created in the early twentieth century, houses the significant archaeological collection in Syria.
It includes historical records tracing back to the Bronze Age from an ancient city, where proof of the most ancient complete alphabet was discovered; early centuries CE ancient art from the ancient city, among the foremost cultural centres of the ancient world; and a ancient Jewish temple that was constructed at an ancient location.
The facility was compelled to shut in the early 2010s, one year after the start of the destructive conflict. The majority of the artifacts was evacuated and stored at undisclosed sites to ensure their safety.
It reopened partially in recent years and resumed full operations in early this year, four weeks after opposition groups overthrew Syria's former leader.
Every one of the country's cultural landmarks were harmed or significantly impacted during the internal struggle.
The IS organization demolished several ancient buildings and historical sites at Palmyra, asserting that they were un-Islamic. International authorities denounced the demolition as a atrocity.
Numerous artefacts were also lost or looted from archaeological sites and collections.
