Valuable Sculptures Removed from the National Museum Located in Damascus
Valuable statues and additional items have been taken from Syria's National Museum in Damascus, officials say.
The theft was found on Monday, when museum workers allegedly found that an entrance had been damaged from the interior.
The multiple stolen statues were marble creations and originated to the ancient Roman times, a source told the Associated Press.
The nation's antiquities authority said it had initiated an inquiry to establish the "events surrounding the disappearance of a group of items", and that measures had been taken to improve security and observation methods.
The chief of national security in the capital area, General Osama Atkeh, was referenced by the state-run Sana news agency as declaring that law enforcement were investigating the robbery, which he said had focused on several "ancient sculptures and unique items".
He added that guards at the institution and other persons were being interrogated.
The National Museum, which was established in the early twentieth century, holds the most important cultural treasures in Syria.
It contains ancient inscribed tablets dating back to the 14th Century BC from Ugarit, where proof of the most ancient complete alphabet was found; early centuries CE classical statues from the ancient city, one of the most important historical locations of the historical period; and a ancient Jewish temple that was built at another archaeological site.
The facility was had to cease operations in 2012, one year after the outbreak of the destructive conflict. Most of the collection was transferred and stored at secure places to protect them.
It reopened partially in 2018 and returned to normal in early this year, one month after opposition groups deposed the Assad regime.
Each of the six of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were harmed or partly ruined during the internal struggle.
The IS organization demolished numerous ancient buildings and additional edifices at the ancient city, claiming that they were un-Islamic. International authorities denounced the destruction as a atrocity.
Many artefacts were also damaged or looted from historical locations and cultural institutions.
