Valuable Statues Stolen from the National Museum in Damascus
Historic sculptures and cultural objects have been stolen from Syria's National Museum in Damascus, authorities report.
The robbery was found on the start of the week, when employees reportedly found that a doorway had been damaged from the inside.
The half-dozen stolen sculptures were crafted from marble and traced back to the Roman era, an authority stated to the media outlet.
Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had opened an investigation to establish the "details surrounding the loss of a collection of artifacts", and that measures had been taken to improve security and surveillance.
The director of internal security in the capital area, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was cited by the government press as declaring that authorities were investigating the robbery, which he said had targeted several "ancient sculptures and unique items".
He noted that security personnel at the museum and additional people were being questioned.
The National Museum, which was established in 1919, contains the most important archaeological collection in the country.
It includes ancient inscribed tablets tracing back to the Bronze Age from historical site, where indications of the oldest known writing system was found; 1st and 2nd Century AD Greco-Roman sculptures from Palmyra, among the foremost ancient sites of the classical era; and a third century Jewish temple that was built at an ancient location.
The museum was forced to close in 2012, a year after the start of the devastating civil war. A large portion of the holdings was evacuated and preserved at secret locations to safeguard them.
It began limited operations in recent years and returned to normal in early this year, one month after insurgents overthrew the Assad regime.
Each of the six of nationally recognized sites were affected or significantly impacted during the civil war.
The Islamic State group destroyed several religious structures and other structures at Palmyra, asserting that they were un-Islamic. The cultural organization condemned the damage as a war crime.
Many artefacts were also destroyed or stolen from archaeological sites and cultural institutions.
