Ancient Statues Removed from Syria's National Museum Located in Damascus
Valuable statues and cultural objects have been stolen from Syria's National Museum in the capital, authorities report.
The burglary was noticed on the start of the week, when museum workers reportedly found that an entrance had been broken from the inside.
The half-dozen stolen sculptures were crafted from marble and originated to the Roman era, a source informed the Associated Press.
Cultural heritage officials said it had launched a probe to identify the "details surrounding the disappearance of a group of items", and that steps had been implemented to improve security and observation methods.
The director of internal security in the Damascus region, Security Chief Atkeh, was quoted by the government press as stating that law enforcement were probing the robbery, which he said had focused on several "historical artifacts and rare collectibles".
He noted that security personnel at the facility and other persons were being questioned.
The National Museum, which was established in the early twentieth century, houses the primary archaeological collection in Syria.
It includes clay cuneiform tablets tracing back to the Bronze Age from historical site, where evidence of the oldest known complete alphabet was uncovered; early centuries CE classical statues from Palmyra, a significant cultural centres of the ancient world; and a ancient synagogue that was constructed at an ancient location.
The institution was had to cease operations in 2012, one year after the outbreak of the destructive conflict. The majority of the collection was transferred and kept at undisclosed sites to safeguard them.
It began limited operations in 2018 and completely reopened in early this year, a month after rebel forces removed President Bashar al-Assad.
Every one of nationally recognized sites were damaged or partially destroyed during the internal struggle.
The militant faction destroyed numerous temples and additional edifices at the archaeological site, claiming that they were idolatrous. Unesco condemned the damage as a atrocity.
Many artefacts were also damaged or stolen from dig sites and collections.
